|
|
||
|
It's been claimed that a lower drinking age, has lead to increased used and abuse. From the mid 1970s to 1987 all states in the us raised their legal drinking age to 21. This move was also enhanced by the Reagan administration prompting Congress to pass the Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act of 1984. The penalty for not raising the minimum age was a substantial loss of federal highway funds. By 1987 all states had raised there drinking age to 21(1). They claim it is working and cite evidence lower incidences of abuse ie DWI. They do not mention the downward trend worldwide and far from American legislative influence.
Alcohol decrease by percent of decrease(2) Also the decrease in DWI's can be attributed to increased awareness of the seriousness of it. Many factors contributed to the decrease, its hard to assert that the raising of the drinking as important as its asserted (3 ). Delaying a persons first drink is no guarantee that the same person will not develop a drinking problem later in life (4 ). The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at New York Columbia University proclaimed in the 1990s that drinking on college campuses was an epidemic. Professor of applied health science at Indiana University Ruth Engs said about the epidemic of alcohol consumption on university campuses "There is no epidemic, there is no crisis," and also said "Students in Western culture have been drinking since the 12th century and will continue to do so."(5 ). A study done in New York state found raising the drinking age did not greatly impact alcohol use among college students. The study used surveys before and after the age was raised (6 ). Alcohol misuse on university campuses should be acted on. There is evidence that students can be taught to drink responsibly (7 ). America has just about the most conservative age related drinking laws on the planet, aside from complete prohibition. |
||
Demon rum