The drinking age in the United States may come with a new exception for military personnel in Wisconsin, which would allow people as young as 19 to buy and consume alcohol. Although, it is unclear when this bill will be presented or passed.
Rep. Mark Pettis, from Wisconsin, is pushing this bill to lower the drinking age for Wisconsin soldiers, but only if the federal government agrees not to cut about $50 million a year in highway aid, according to the Associated Press.
The drinking age in the mid 1980s was raised to 21 in the United States due to the Uniform Drinking Age act passed by Congress that cut federal money to transport funds in states that didn’t raise their drinking age, according to the American Medical Association.
Who wants a bunch of drunken guys running around with guns?
Lila Lobdell, junior women’s studies major and former president of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy and National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML/SSDP, said that it seems like a ploy by the military to get more people to join. “College students are about 19; it’s not fair to make them join the military if they want to drink.”
Students at SUNY New Paltz have mixed opinions about the current drinking age, which happens to be the highest in the world.
“I don’t see why it is necessary to lower the drinking age,” said Lorraine Vultaggio, 20, a secondary education major. “Drinking and going to war don’t have anything to do with each other. Besides who wants a bunch of drunken guys running around with guns? When they come back, let them have soda.”
On the other hand, Stacy Tubeck, 20, a junior elementary education major, has a very different opinion.
“I think it’s safe but inappropriate. If you can go to war, you can drink, you’ve earned it,” said Tubeck. “Although, if they are going to lower [the drinking age] for the military they should lower it for everyone else, too.”
The drinking age was as low as 18 in the United States before the Uniform Drinking Age Act forced all states to raise their drinking ages to 21.
“There isn’t much difference between an 18 and 21-year-old, maturity wise,” said Tubeck. She added that 19 would be a good drinking age because college students should be able to drink but not high school students.
Most students agree with Tubeck.
Lobdell said the drinking age is very silly and ineffective since most people start drinking when they are college aged anyhow. “It doesn’t matter if the drinking age is 18 or 21, they’ll be
drinking.”
Vultaggio disagrees with Tubeck and Lobdell on the belief that people under the age of 21 should not be allowed to consume alcohol even if they are in the military.
There isn’t much difference between an 18 and 21-year-old, maturity wise.
The drinking age affects more than just college students. There are many accidents related to drunk driving, 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities in 2004, according to Alcohol Alert. Also there are many organizations against these accidents such as Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
“We are against lowering the drinking age in any case because we believe it will cause more accidents,” said Donna Kopec, the executive director for the New York State office of MADD. Statistics have shown that alcohol related car accidents have decreased since the drinking age was raised.
Vultaggio agrees and said, “The number of drunk driving accidents would increase a lot if the drinking age were lowered”
Between 1982 and 2004 the number of deaths resulting from alcohol related accidents has decreased by almost 10,000 people according to Alcohol Alert.
“I want it lowered but at the same time I don’t want to see drunk driving accidents increase,” said Tubeck. “I feel they would increase a little bit if the drinking age was lowered.”
No comments:
Post a Comment