Drinking Age Essay

812 Words4 Pages
According to theweek.com, in short, the legal drinking age of 21 was passed “because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984.” This law told states that they had to enforce a minimum drinking age of 21 or they would lose up to 10% of their federal funding. But the questions are why it is the age of 21 and should this age be lowered? There are several reasons for the legal drinking age to remain at the age of 21. The reason for this can be explained through the legal history, how the human brain matures, and finally the medical side effects of drinking. The history of the minimum drinking age is quite a roller coaster. The drinking age act that was passed in 1984 stated the minimum drinking age was to be 21 years old. Did lawmakers…show more content…
Under most laws, young people are recognized as adults at age 18, but according to www.npr.org, “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don't reach full maturity until the age 25.” This is saying that even though citizens are able to drink at just the age of 21, their body is not fully mature or able to make the right decisions despite being under the influence. Dr. Sandra Aamodt explains that there are changes that happen between 18 and 25. These changes starts around puberty, 18 year olds are about halfway through this process. Dr. Aamodt goes on the say that, “Their prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed. That's the part of the brain that helps you to inhibit impulses and to plan and organize your behavior to reach a goal.” Because the human brain is not completely mature until the average age of 25, these goes to show that even the limited age of 21 is still too young. If the drinking age was to be lowered, it is nearly impossible for the brain to make the right decision on impulses and if the young teens were allowed, by law to drink, these impulses would be altered even
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