Everyone knows that it is illegal to consume alcohol until the age of 21. Many people are in agreement with this legal restriction. Some would even say that it should be raised. However, the legal drinking age sometimes causes more problems than it prevents. First, it is necessary to question this law. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? In an alcohol summit held in Boulder Colorado, Boulder County Sheriff George Epp said "There's a general belief that immature people are less likely to handle the effects of alcohol, so our Congress has chosen to set an arbitrary limit (at age 21). We all know some people under 21 who can drink responsibly, and some over 21 with no hope of ever drinking responsibly,". Why isn’t the limit 18 or 35 or 40? This seemingly arbitrary number is associated with adulthood, as if the day a person turns 21 they know everything and are mature. The drinking age used to be 18 in some states. Many parents of today's teenagers were legally allowed to drink at 18. Today's teenagers face more responsibility and are treated more like adults than their parents were. This makes the 21 restriction seem out of date. At 18, people are considered adults. It is the opinion of many people whose sites I visited that if it is legal for 18 year olds to drive cars, fly planes, vote, marry, pay taxes, take out loans and risk their lives in the armed forces then it should be legal for them to drink alcohol. I also am in agreement with this statement.Today's legal drinking age is unrealistic. Prohibiting the sale of liquor to young adults creates an atmosphere where binge drinking and alcohol abuse have become a problem. Banning drinking for young people makes alcohol a tantalizing forbidden fruit. Teenagers look at drinking as something glamorous. It is viewed as an adult activity; and teenagers want to be adults as soon as possible. In order to get a drink, teenagers w...
