2. By: Taylor Marie DiCristofalo English 1302-007 Professor Fennell

3. The United States is one out of four nations worldwide that has a legal drinking age as high as twenty-one years old. In 1984 the National Drinking Age Act was passed by Congress and all 50 states adopted a minimum drinking age of twenty-one shortly after. Since 1984 there has been a lot of discussion about certain states lowering their drinking age back to eighteen, due to a variety of different factors such as the forbidden fruit theory that seems to plague college campuses all over the country. But even though some individuals claim that lowering the national drinking age will reduce ‘binge drinking’ among young adults, others argue that this will bring dangerous and fatal outcomes for developmental health of adolescents and could dramatically increase the amount of alcohol related incidents. The national drinking age has been debated among political leaders, University presidents, and concerned parents all over the United States, but in good judgment the drinking age has remained twenty-one and should remain that age if lawmakers intend to keep the public safe and the young adults safe from themselves. Since 1984 there has been a lot of discussion about certain states lowering their drinking age back to eighteen, due to a variety of different factors such as the forbidden fruit theory that seems to plague college campuses all over the country. But even though some individuals claim that lowering the national drinking age will reduce ‘binge drinking’ among young adults, others argue that this will bring dangerous and fatal outcomes for developmental health of adolescents and could dramatically increase the amount of alcohol related incidents.

4. Traffic Incidents due to drinking

5. Binge Drinking Among Young Adults

6. Amethyst Initiative Forbidden Fruit Theory Advances in motor technology

7. Twenty-one years is a long time to wait for a legal sip of alcohol, but it is definitely worth the wait. Other countries have a lower minimum drinking age than the United States has, but those countries are not as dependent on automobiles and have large public transportations systems in place to avoid alcohol-related crashes. The national legal drinking age should stay twenty- one because of the health issues and accidental fatalities that would arise. Many young adults do not understand the consequences and responsibility that come with being a twenty-one year old, drinking adult. The forbidden fruit theory may have some kind of influence on the amount of drinking that young adults consume but the legal drinking age does not need to be decreased for the forbidden fruit to disappear. The drinking age is twenty- one because it keeps Americans safe. Even though many young adults break the law and consume or buy alcohol before the legal age they are putting themselves and everyone around them in danger. Lawmakers should not decrease the minimum drinking age in any U.S. state because of the terrible effects that undoubtedly would come from this kind of change. Those who are under the age of twenty-one must wait until it is legal for them to drink responsibly and safely.

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