When it comes to the discussion on underage drinking and what the minimum legal age should be I would defiantly say I have interest in this topic. Most importantly because I am an 18-year-old college student who sees the effects of the law almost every day. Being a witness and on the "inside" allows me to fully see the extend teenagers go to in order to drink under the radar, which gives me some credibility in discussing this topic. No teen is going to go up to a professor and tell them all their plans for the weekend or about that crazy party that happened where they "blacked out". Being a teenager myself gives me an insight to the hidden truths that are kept secret from the law. I believe that if the minimum age was lowered to 18 and these teenagers were educated about alcohol, peoples drinking habits would be both safer and healthier. 

The legal drinking age is something that has been argued since the 1930's when the minimum age was set to 21. According to the Speak Up Coalition, a task force with the objective to inform and increase awareness of underage drinking as well as to reduce it all together, lowering the drinking age would make matters worse. Biased toward the higher legal age they see every bad act as an effect of underage drinking drunk driving accidents, alcohol poisoning deaths and any other tragedies that have occurred. They have stated that a lowering of the drinking age coincides with a rise in the level of teen drinking and driving fatalities. If the age was lowered they believe drunk driving accidents and even fatalities would skyrocket. 

Now looking at advocates for the 21 minimum age compared to those against it their arguments seem to bring about the same ideas and topics. Gabrielle Glaser, an author of a novel focusing on the epidemic of drinking especially in women, discusses her thoughts and desires on lowering the drinking age to 18. Her arguments focus on the idea that just because something is illegal doesn't mean it stops all together. Kids will still drink but they will do it underground and hide, creating dangerous risky situations. She believes that instead of saying no we should say yes but educate them and teach them to drink in a safe controlled environment. "We don't hand teenagers car keys without first educating them about how to drive. Why expect 21-year-olds to learn how to drink responsibly without learning from moderate models, at home and in alcohol education programs?" Would you let your child take your car without passing drivers education first?

While we look at the issues and dangers that underage drinking has caused, people choose to view the different sides to it. There is one side of the argument that focuses on how the minimum age is damaging to the heath and safety of younger generations. Dr. Henry Wechsler, who received his Ph. D in social phycology at Harvard University, specializes in the issues with underage drinking most specifically in colleges. He has researched advocacy groups made up of college presidents who want, and are trying to get the age lowered to 18 legally. They believe for the safety of their students it should be lowered to avoid health dangers such as binge drinking and drunk driving. Evidence continues to grow with accidents, injuries and even deaths due to underage drinking on college campuses and it must be stopped. 

Hearing and reading about all these tragedies and mishaps that occur because of drinking makes me wonder why are these things happening. While we know that alcohol impairs your judgment and causes you to do bad tings, can we fully blame the alcohol itself. We try to lock up the idea of drinking and alcohol itself until you're 21, so teenagers are experimenting and binge drinking because they don't know any better. No one talks about or tells them how to safely drink. We keep alcohol forbidden from anyone underage, but since when does that ever work. Underage drinking is something that will keep continuing to happen, so why not educate the teenagers creating a safe environment and allow them to drink. The stricter and more enforced these laws become, the more dangerous of situations these kids put themselves into to stay hidden and still drink. It almost seems this law creates an even more dangerous situation then alcohol does itself. 

