Education is Key After Prohibition it was left up to states to determine their alcohol regulation, many states made the MLDA 21, which was at the time, the same age that people could exercise other adult-like responsibilities, such as voting. Between the early and late 1970’s 29 states lowered their drinking age to 18. In 1984 Congress passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act, this required states to have a MLDA of 21 in order to receive money to fix highways (Main 35). The governments wish for states to raise the drinking age was because of increased driving under the influence in young adults. Now in the 2000’s underage drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol related deaths are occurring more often (“Binge”). These incidences are more apparent
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Lowering the drinking age can give parents and schools more of an opportunity to educate kids on alcohol consumption. Donald R. Eastman the president of Eckerd College and one of the signatories to the Amethyst Initiative states that the current MLDA of 21 does not educate younger kids on the possible dangers of alcohol but criminalizes their actions (Eastman). It is only natural for people under the age of 21 to be curious about alcohol, especially considering the amount of time it is tried to be kept from them. If the MLDA is lowered then alcohol education can be taught more thoroughly in classrooms. Based on my experience in East Lansing Public Schools the current teaching method of alcoholic abstinence gives students the idea that alcohol itself is bad. This should instead be shifted to how abusive drinking affects behavior and when and how much is appropriate to drink. This change in the drinking age also allows parents to teach their children more about safe drinking habits. In countries like France, parents serve reasonable amounts of wine to children at meals. This takes away from the “forbidden fruit” allure. This is stated by Dwight B. Heath a professor at Brown University (Griggs). Lowering the drinking age and providing proper education to young adults will not only make them less vulnerable to negative influence on drinking, but encourage positive drinking
Lowering the drinking age can give parents and schools more of an opportunity to educate kids on alcohol consumption. Donald R. Eastman the president of Eckerd College and one of the signatories to the Amethyst Initiative states that the current MLDA of 21 does not educate younger kids on the possible dangers of alcohol but criminalizes their actions (Eastman). It is only natural for people under the age of 21 to be curious about alcohol, especially considering the amount of time it is tried to be kept from them. If the MLDA is lowered then alcohol education can be taught more thoroughly in classrooms. Based on my experience in East Lansing Public Schools the current teaching method of alcoholic abstinence gives students the idea that alcohol itself is bad. This should instead be shifted to how abusive drinking affects behavior and when and how much is appropriate to drink. This change in the drinking age also allows parents to teach their children more about safe drinking habits. In countries like France, parents serve reasonable amounts of wine to children at meals. This takes away from the “forbidden fruit” allure. This is stated by Dwight B. Heath a professor at Brown University (Griggs). Lowering the drinking age and providing proper education to young adults will not only make them less vulnerable to negative influence on drinking, but encourage positive drinking