We've all seen it before: the ambulances rushing from the bars to the hospital, the random drunk kids passed out in the quad or on the street, the gut-wrenching sounds of vomiting and heaving coming from the corridor bathrooms. One thing is clear – the legal drinking age of 21 is doing absolutely nothing to stop underage college students from obtaining and consuming alcohol.
Even before mentioning how college kids are getting their hands on copious amounts of alcohol, it's worth considering the absurdity and haphazardness of the drinking age in the U.S. Eighteen year olds in this country can vote, drive, own property, smoke, purchase several different types of firearms, serve in the military and die for their country, but god forbid a young adult tries to have a beer.
Of course, no one who should be stopped by the drinking age is actually being prevented from drinking. According to an ABC News survey, around 70 percent of undergraduates under the age of 21 have fake IDs, which allow underage students to easily purchase alcohol at most liquor stores and bars near campus. While some establishments attempt to catch fake IDs with scanners and backlights, the technology used to make these IDs will continue to advance and be one step ahead of the tools used to catch them. So long as the drinking age remains where it is, this illegal market will continue to exist. However, lowering the drinking age to 18 would almost eliminate the need for fraudulent IDs, and law enforcement would be more readily available to focus on the real issues on and around campuses, such as sexual assault (which often goes unreported for fear of being charged for underage drinking), opiate abuse and theft.
One of the biggest issues that a drinking age of 21 presents is the "forbidden fruit" phenomenon; our culture has made younger adults desperate to try alcohol because it is being held out of reach. When those under 21 do have a chance to drink, which they actually often do, they will often drink to excess because they are desperate to engage in this illusive and "grown up" activity. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would also allow drinking to be more easily monitored, since it could take place in public where security, police and health workers could keep an eye on the situation. This would lead to a far more peaceful and safe drinking environment than the secretive hide outs and pre-games that underage college students often resort to.
It's also important to mention that prohibition of alcohol failed not only once but twice: both in the 1850s and 1920s. Attempts to outlaw alcohol led to societal unrest, disobedience to the law and surging profits for streets gangs who illegally produced and provided alcohol.
Now, keeping the drinking age 21 is leading to an ever-increasing demand for fake IDs, binge drinking and the inability to learn how to drink safely and responsibly early on. It's time we stop making a taboo out of alcohol and start being smart about our decisions of what we consume and how much we can handle.
