KTSRO Why Lowering the Drinking Age is a BAD Idea

Why Lowering the Drinking Age is a BAD idea

First and foremost, this issue is NOT an issue of “legal age.” It is a health and safety issue!

• As one of the most studied public health laws in history, the scientific research from more than 50 high-quality studies all found that the 21 law saves lives. Studies consistently show that the 21 law (passed in 1984) causes those under the age of 21 to drink less and to continue to drink less throughout their 20s.

• About 5,000 people under age 21 die each year due to underage drinking. This does not include sexual assaults, violence and injuries.

• The U.S. Surgeon General reports that life expectancy has improved in the U.S. over the past 75 years for every age group except one. The death rate for 15-24 year olds is higher today than it was 20 years ago. The leading cause of death is drunk and drugged driving.

• The earlier youth drink (23% report having their first drink before the age of 13), the more likely they will become dependent on alcohol and drive drunk later in life. The risk for alcohol dependency decreases by 14% with each year drinking is delayed after the age of 15. Research shows that the longer you delay the onset of alcohol use with a young person, the less likely they are to experience problems with use later in life.

• Because the brain is not fully developed, an adolescent can become addicted to alcohol in as little as 6-18 months. The brain continues to develop into the early twenties. The part that controls reasoning and cognitive ability takes the longest to mature; thus, underage drinking, especially heavy drinking, affects memory and reasoning. The part of the brain responsible for forming new memories is noticeably smaller in youth who abuse alcohol. Alcohol use in adolescence also decreases executive functioning, memory, spatial operations, and attention among adolescents.

• Setting the drinking age at 21 has saved lives on our roads. Between 1983 and 1989, the number of drivers at a .10 BAC (the previous illegal limit for adults) involved in fatal crashes increased, except for two age groups – 16-20 year olds, which decreased 32 percent, and 21-24 year olds, which decreased 18 percent.

• The Center for Disease Control looked at 49 peer-reviewed studies of places that changed their drinking age and found conclusively that a 21 minimum drinking age decreases fatalities by 16 percent.