5 focusing questions

Main Question: Is the older drinking age in the US beneficial to me in comparison to the lower drinking age in Europe?

Focus Questions:

1)    When was the drinking age in the US established?

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/1092767630.html

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_Act

-The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age to 21. States that did not comply faced a reduction in highway funds under the Federal Highway Aid Act. The U.S. Department of Transportation has determined that all states are in compliance with this act.

2)    Why was the drinking age made 21 in the US?

http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/17893

-The age limit for alcohol is based on research which shows that young people react differently to alcohol. Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults,⁹ but have more trouble knowing when to stop. Teens naturally overdo it and binge more often than adults.

3)    How does the older drinking age benefit teenagers?

http://debates.juggle.com/should-the-united-states-lower-its-drinking-age-from-21-to-18

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/min_drinking_age/default.html

The brain, especially the frontal lobe, which involves decision-making and long-term planning, is still developing at the ages of 18, 19 and 20, and even into the mid-twenties. Around the age 21 is when most of the changes are finished taking place. Before this age, the brain is still changing, and alcohol can have a greater effect on brain structures when it's still forming, than it can after the structure has finished growing.

4)    How does the older drinking age hurt teenagers?

http://drinkingage.procon.org/

http://www.centraltimes.org/opinions/2009/01/31/legally-intoxicated-drinking-age-does-not-affect-teenagers-choices-to-illegally-drink/

Although the United States increased the MLDA to 21, its rate of traffic fatalities in the 1980s decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21 proving that establishing an MLDA at 21 is not necessarily an effective way to reduce traffic fatalities

5)    How does the drinking age in Europe compare to America in alcohol related accidents?

http://www.mdt.mt.gov/safety/docs/taskforces/ojjdp_feb01.pdf

http://www.chooseresponsibility.org/frequently_asked_questions/

Under the 21 year-old drinking age, fewer young people are drinking, but those who do choose to are drinking more. This alarming rise in the rates of binge drinking on campuses and in communities around the nation has caused a major, national public health problem in comparison to European countries who drink in more moderation.