Drinking Age: Lower It and Move On

Less than two weeks ago, around 100 college presidents from the most prestigious institutions in the nation started a petition to lower the nation drinking age from 21 to 18. Colleges such as Duke and Ohio State were in favor. To these presidents I must say, right on! Lower the drinking age.

This petition has met quit a bit of resistance. Most of the people who oppose this petition view it as a way to hide a problem. This view can go either way but they are missing the broad view. This is a country that allows anyone who turns 18 to be drafted into military service, vote for the future leaders of our country, and purchase tobacco. The last of these privileges is where the problem lies. How can we allow an 18 year old to begin killing themselves by smoking, though slowly, but not allow them to have a sip of alcohol?

According to the last national census, cancer.org states that over 20% of our country smokes. This web site, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, goes on to say that the numbers go up as the age goes down. 1 out of 4 Americans between the age of 18 and 44 smokes, and the numbers for high school students are similar.

Each year, almost 500,000 people die from smoking related illnesses. These results may seem shocking, but the United States government still feels that it is ok to leave the legal age for tobacco at 18. On the other hand, nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov, states that only around 100,000 deaths occur each year due to alcohol. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website also went on to show that DUI fatalities are down this year. What are we missing?

With a little research, anyone can find facts like these on the internet. Once these facts are found, you can then form your own humble opinion. After this research, I found that the problem is not whether or not it’s legal. Laws are meant to be broken right? The problem is education. Drinking is not wrong, but drinking too much can harm you. This education needs to start early. Drinking is a personal choice and I feel that lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 will not causes a sudden spike in alcohol related deaths. With that being said, if I were able to put my John Hancock on that petition there would be no hesitation.