18 year olds are anything but minor

Richard Ziegler

Composition 1022 Section 15, Group 2

Brian Lewis

February 8, 2010

“18 year olds are anything but minor”

“The detention of hundreds of concertgoers in Foxborough over the weekend was part of a planned crackdown on underage drinking at the sold-out show, police and stadium officials said. More than 250 state and local police were deployed at the New England Country Music Festival. The show of force resulted in what some law enforcement officials said was the largest number of arrests at Gillette Stadium in years (Abel).” Looking at the general principle of alcohol consumption in America, our tolerance as of today is pretty well defined: absolutely no liquor under the age of 21. Alcohol consumption technically falls in the same class as cigarette smoking, more or less considering that the benefits of drinking a beer tend to be much smaller than the consequences attached. Both activities are potentially harmful to your health, alcohol is definitely stronger of the two (drinking and driving has the potential to greatly increase deaths). Then again, second hand smoking is enough of a problem that state legislatures are spending lots of money and time on smoking bans. Referring back to the concertgoers in Foxborough, Law enforcement funds are increasingly being spent on hunting down minor alcohol consumption. Another scenario where police are using force in order to crack-down on minors is in Boston Massachusetts. A store in Newton Corner faces citations that could jeopardize its liquor license after about 90 minors, including 50 with fake IDs, attempted to buy alcohol over the holiday weekend, state officials said following an investigation. The minors were found in possession of, transporting, or attempting to purchase alcohol. Officials confiscated 45 cases of beer, 41 bottles of other types of alcoholic beverages, and five beer balls, or minikegs (Rocheleau). None of the underage shoppers were charged. Their parents were contacted from the liquor store parking lot as part of the state's notification program. "There is no doubt that these operations save lives and prevent tragedies before they happen," Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who oversees the commission, said in a news release (Rocheleau).” In many instances, they have a good case. Drunk driving is a very serious treat, and lowering the drinking age has the potential to make this problem ten-fold worse. Of the over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips estimated that Americans took in 2002, over ten percent (18 million trips) were made by 18-20 year olds (Kyran). But looking at the two examples of law enforcement intervention, are these searches/ seizures a reasonable use of taxpayer dollars?

Let’s take a look at another state where underage drinking is a problem, but the change here is that officials in Iowa are looking to erase minor charges. The Iowa City police wrote 818 citations for possession of alcohol under the legal age in the first 11 months of 2009. Since 2004, the department has cited between 879 and 1,697 18 -- to 21-year-odds for Purchasing alcohol under the legal age, according to department records (Lynch). "There's still the financial punishment, so that's a disincentive," said Shipley, a senior who was ticketed for underage drinking his first week at the UI. "I was just standing in a bar trying to rush a frat and got a $300 ticket." "There are too many people coming out of school with criminal records," Shipley said. "A lot of people think police resources could be better allocated." The proposed change recognizes the "consequences of a strict prohibitionist policy," he said (Lynch). Iowa is a good example of a state where an increasing number of 18 year olds are consuming alcoholic beverages.

Comparing the legal-abiding nature of the New England police to the open natured attitude of Iowa politicians, a question can be drawn about how law enforcement handles minor consumption: is it really worth the energy? We have long editorialized that these sting operations do not go to the heart of the problem but are merely feel-good exercises that rarely accomplish much, if anything. Often, in the past, the targets have been high-end restaurants and popular eateries where underage drinking is simply not an issue. If our police and our social service agencies really want to make a difference, why don't they target the places where they know underage drinking is taking place on a recurring basis (North Adams)? Why don't they go undercover and root out the criminals (often parents) who are procuring alcohol in great quantities for minors? Best yet, why don't they put more resources into educating teens -- and especially their parents -- about the myriad dangers of booze (North Adams)? A place where the attention for alcohol consumption actually focuses on the root level described above, is in Stockholm Sweden. It seems that in Stockholm, a balance has been observed in adolescent alcohol consumption. In Stockholm, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a community alcohol prevention program on the frequency of alcohol service to young adults at licensed premises around the city. At baseline in 1996, the adolescents made 600 attempts to order. At follow-up in 1998, the number of attempts to order was 252, and at the second follow-up in 2001, the adolescents made 238 attempts (Wallin, Eva). Overall, the frequency of alcohol service to adolescents on licensed premises in these areas of Stockholm decreased significantly over time, from 45 to 41 and to 32%, in 1996, 1998, and 2001, respectively. One explanation for this improvement could be more effective enforcement of existing alcohol laws in both the intervention and control areas. We also found that licensed premises that used doormen to screen potential customers were less likely to sell to minors (Wallin, Eva). This study took place with adolescents/minors in Sweden, which would entail any individual under the age of 18 years. Looking at both Iowa’s change of heart, and Stockholm’s screening tactics, it seems like a balance on both law enforcement and alcohol consumption can be struck on this issue.

So coming to the bottom of the bottle, there seems to be a case for both sides. At one end, drinking is all ready harmful enough as stands, but with an increasing number of minors in the United States consuming alcohol at the age of 18 and up, it would seem reasonable that the age should be lowered. Instead of spending energy on busting bar-owners, or shutting down entire concerts, safe alcohol practices can be established before mental development is fully attained. Now this is not to say that every 18 year old is suited to drink, and should be able to skate free: it’s important that they abide by the same laws that 21 year olds face when using alcohol. Spending our tax payer dollars on alcohol awareness / proper accommodations for minors is a great way to help abolish the stigma of underage drinking.

Work Cited

David Abel. "Arrests at festival hit a mark. " Boston Globe 18 Aug. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

James Q. Lynch. "Bill would erase records for underage drinkers: Offenders would still be fined. " McClatchy - Tribune Business News 24 January 2010 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Matt Rocheleau. "Newton Corner liquor store is accused of selling to minors. " Boston Globe 15 Oct. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.

Wallin, Eva, and Sven Andreasson. "Can I Have a Beer, Please? A Study of Alcohol Service to Young Adults on Licensed Premises in Stockholm.(Author abstract)." Prevention Science 5.4 (2004): 221+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

"Wrong approach on booze. " North Adams Transcript 1 December 2008 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Is there any difference between 18 and 21?

Megan Johnson

Composition 2

Brian Lewis

Group Blog Assignment

The answer is yes, there is quite a large difference between the 18 year old brain and the 21 year old brain. Alcohol affects your brain no matter how old you are, but the amount that it affects you does depend on how old you are. When you are 18 years old your brain is still in the development stage, consuming alcohol during this time can be very damaging and irreversible. Some of the areas that are severely impaired are ones learning ability and memory, which are both crucial to the adolescent who is in school. (AMA) And ones inability to perform well in school can often lead to social problems and depression, which in turn can ultimately lead to more and more drinking.

Moving in a different direction now, one of the biggest, if not the biggest arguments many people have about the drinking age not being 18 is: If you can join the armed forces and fight and die for your country at 18, why cant you legally purchase and consume alcohol? I don’t feel that there is a right or wrong answer to this question. Yes, I agree that joining the armed forces is a very big decision that takes a lot of consideration. There is no denying that. However, I think that many people fail to realize that if these same men and women who are fighting for our country at 18 years old were allowed to drink alcohol, who’s to say that they don’t make this very weighty decision of joining the Army, Navy, ect. under the influence of said alcohol? Then we could have people fighting for this country who did not truly consider the consequences of what they are doing, who may not have even wanted to join. I’m not saying that if you are 18 years old and allowed to drink you are going to get wasted and join the military, this of course could happen at any age, but is it really worth taking the chance of having someone protecting this country who doesn’t really want to be?

And of course there is the argument: Well you’re already 21 so what do you care about the legal drinking age? This question would be answered differently by everyone. I personally would respond by saying that I am 23 years old and have been able to drink legally for two years now so no, the legal drinking age no longer affects me. However, I can honestly say that even when I was 18 I have always felt that 21 was an appropriate age to start purchasing and consuming alcohol.

Undoubtedly those who feel that the drinking age being set at 21 has lead to more binge drinking and to minors drinking in secret. In an interview last year for 60 Minuets, the former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, John McCardell, is quoted as saying of the current law prohibiting those under the age of 21 to drink: “This law has been an abysmal failure. It hasn’t reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors…” He says that this law has “created a dangerous culture of irresponsible and reckless behavior” He also argues that the drinking age being 21 brings about a “prohibition” type issue, “kids find ways to get around the 21 year old limit” claiming that “it’s so widespread, it’s the norm”. McCardell feels that lowering the age “will make kids safer”. (Streeter) Although he brings up a seemingly excellent argument as to why the drinking age limit should be lowered, McCardell fails to acknowledge these “kids” lack of personal responsibility. If someone is expected to be responsible enough to vote and make the decision to join the military at 18, why can’t these same responsibilities to expected when it comes to drinking? For those who are in favor of lowering the drinking age, do you really feel that given the legal right to consume alcohol at 18 years old, that those same people who are doing so illegally would do so any safer?

Works Cited

American Medical Association (AMA) “Brain Damage Risks.” ama-assn.org
American Medical Association, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010

Streeter, Ruth. “The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age.” cbsnews.com.
Central Broadcasting System, 22 Feb. 2009. Web. 6 Feb. 2010

Are there any pros to lowering the drinking age?

Talycia Williams
Group Blog Assignment
Comp II. Brian Lewis





Well this is a question that I think deserves answering. Multiple people and doctors will say no ther are no pros to lowering the drinking age. They will even tell you there are adequate cons to lowering it. I am not saying that the info they are giving you is incorrect, I am simple giving you some more information and you make the decision. To start off one pro just thinkng off the top of my head one pro is sending less young adults to jail because of underage drinking. I know some of you will say "well why would we change a law just to keep them out of jail, if we did wouldn't that just gives grounds to other criminals to fight for laws to be overturned to fuel their crime?" This question is logical, but lets really look at what this question intales. Are we saying that our young adults who may be participating in underage drinking deserve the same treatment as citizens who commit higher scale crime? another question that I want to ask is, " is this issue as big as we are making it?" to answer my own question I dont think so. The United States of America is the only country that prohibits all alcoholic drinking under the age of 21. There are two other countries Pakistan and Norway that require certain strenghs of alcoholic beverages to be purchased by somone 21 or older but even in these countries most drinks are able to be consumed by ages 18 or older. ("Minimum Age Limits Worldwide" http://www.icap.org/) Countries Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, and United Kingdom all have heir legal drinking age at 18. Are we stuck in an imaginary world were we really believe that hey are going to follow these rules? Are we driving them to underground and binge drinking?

Megan's Thesis

I feel that the drinking age should stay at 21. The affects of alcohol on the body and the brain are horrific at any age, but consuming alcohol before your brain is fully developed, for women 22, for men 24, could seriously impair your brain's ability to change and grow. Consuming alcohol before the age of 21, even in moderation, can damage your learning and memory. I feel that those at the age of 18 are at a very vital time in their lives, between applying for college and choosing what their major will be, they will be encountering many important decisions. The consumption of alcohol at this stage in your life, even in moderation, would be a hindrance to your ability to make these important decisions wisely.

Talycia's Thesis

Okay so we all know that there is underage drinking in America. As for if its right or wrong, I'm not in charge of judging that, but I can have my input, and I believe that if a person is old enough and allowed to make the decision to go to war for their country and die, then who are we to say they are not old enough to drink alcohol?There are associated risks that come with alcohol, but are there not with anything activity that one decides to partake in? So if you haven't noticed yet, I believe that they should lower the limit and let these young adults make the decision for themselves.

Richard's Thesis

Since the Vietnam war, 18 year old citizens had the right to serve their country as a soldier, smoke tobacco, exercise voting rights, and drink alcoholic beverages. Today, 18 year old American adults have the freedom to gamble, smoke tobacco, serve the military, but no longer can legally drink alcoholic beverages. Individuals that are of 18 years of age or older should be able to legally consume alcoholic beverages. 18 year old alcohol consumption still exists today, and our U.S Law should go back to accommodating this basic principle.