it is a research paper on lowering the drinking age to 18.

Introduction

Turning 18 is a big event for all Americans because they are now considered legal adults. Once a legal adult, one can legally buy tobacco products, vote in elections, own firearms, be tried as an adult in court, enlist in the armed forces, serve jury duty, and even purchase pornography. Even though one is now considered a legal adult with all of these privileges, 18 to 20 years olds are denied the right to purchase and drink alcohol.

Background

It has not always been this way. In 1984, the Uniform Drinking Age Act when passed. This law did not force all states to switch to the drinking age of 21, but threatened to decrease federal funding to each state's transportation fund if they did not comply within two years. Before this law was passed, each state varied on their drinking age from 18-21 years old. The national drinking age became a national issue when the founder of MADD, (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Cathy Lightner, claimed that 18-20 year old drinkers were causing many auto accidents. The statistics that she used, however, were inaccurate and misleading. (Akil Pp. 15-17)

For instance, the statistics used to show the number of 18-20 year olds in alcohol-related accidents, included people who were riding with parents or other adults that were drinking and driving. The media then used these misleading statistics and excessively covered this issue. This caused many to join MADD in their efforts to raise the drinking age by writing letters to congress to change the law. After making enough racket, the national drinking age of 21 went into full effect in 1987. The effects of lowering the legal drinking age to 18 years old would be a great step in helping reduce the crime and delinquency of people (especially college students) between the ages of 18 and 21. This paper will discuss the effects of a lower drinking age on college students - also the effects of the current age of 21.

The current law that sets the drinking age at 21 does not prevent a single college student from getting alcohol if one wants it. What this law does do, however, is makes students that are doing nothing out of the ordinary, into lawbreakers. This also causes students to disrespect other laws. (Lonnstorm Pp.48)

A huge part of this disrespect comes into play when students are already engaging in "illegal behavior" simply by drinking, the line of right and wrong has already been crossed, and it becomes easier to engage in other forms of illegal behavior, particularly when one's judgment is impaired by alcohol. For example, when a minor goes to a party where alcohol is present, they are automatically committing an illegal act - without even consuming a drop of alcohol. When a minor is put in that kind of a situation where it is just as illegal to be around alcohol as it is to drink it, then of course it is ok ...