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ArianaPlata
ProfessorCollins
ENGL1302
4May2016
LoweringDrinkingAge
UnderagedrinkingisacommonsituationinTexaswheresignificantamountofpeople
getintroublefornotbeingoldenoughdrinklegally.ThedrinkingageinthestateofTexas
shouldbeloweredtonineteenbecauseitwillgetpeopleinlesstrouble.CurrentlyinTexas,one
mustbetwentyoneyearsofagetobuyalcohol.Asmanypeopleknow,adultsprovidingalcohol
isamajorknownproblemandtheamountofyoungadultshavingeasyaccesstoalcoholisgoing
up.Forexample,accordingtothearticleUnderageDrinkingbytheNationalInstituteof
Alcoholdemonstrates,
A2013studyshowedthat93.7percentofadolescents...whodrank
alcoholgotitforfreethelasttimetheydrank.
Thisissueneedsattentionbecausemanyadults
areprovidingalcoholtominorsandtheresultsofthatisgoingtojail.IfinthestateofTexas
he/sheisconsideredanadult.Manyknowthatinthepastyearsitwaslegaltodrinkattheageof
eighteeninTexasandprovidingalcoholtoaminerwasnotprevalentthan.ThearticleYour
CompleteGuidetoUnderageDrinkingLawbyMatthewSharpwhoiswiththecriminallaw
officeinHoustonmentions,
Itwasntalwaysthecase:Theminimumdrinkingwas18in1971,
raisedto19in1979,thenfinallyto21in1984
.Thequotedemonstratedtheprocessofthe
drinkingagegoingup.Buttheproblemwiththisisthatmakingthedrinkingagetwentyone
preventseighteenyearoldsfromrealizingthattheyareadultsandtheyshouldnotbeprevented
frombeingtreatedlikeadults.Technicallybythetimepeoplearenineteenyearsoldtheyareout

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ofhighschoolandthereisnoreasontobetreatedlikeachild.Inordertofindasolutiontothe
drinkingage,thegovernmentshouldpassalawthatwilllowerthedrinkingage.Ifthe
governmentpassedthelaw,lesspeoplewouldbegoingtojailandpoliceofficerscouldactually
focusonrealcriminalproblems.
Therearemultiplereasonswhythedrinkingageshouldbeloweredtoayoungerage.One
ofthereasonsthedrinkingageshouldbereducedisbecauseitwillmanifestfairnesstowaiters
andbartendersservingalcoholicbeverages.ThearticleIsitLegalbyBrettSniderwhoisan
attorneyanddirectoroflegalservicesinforms,
InTexas,almostany18yearoldisallowedtobe
employedasanalcoholserver,aslongasthatminoremployeehascompletedalcohol
server/sellertraining.Demonstratingthateighteenyearoldpeoplearegranttoserveitaslong
astheyhaveatrainingdocument.Allowingthattohappen,doesnotconveyfairnessknowing
tha
tpeoplecansellitbutnotdrinkit.Anotherreasondrinkingageshouldbedemotedistomake
policeofficersjobslessstressfulandnotarrestpeopleforsillycrimes.Officerscouldactually
startfocusinginrealcrimesiftheywerespendinglesstimeinunderagedrinkingsituations.
Therewouldbelessamountofpeoplegettingintroubleforinvolvementofsituationdueto
underagepossessionofalcohol.AccordingtoMatthewSharp,minersthatarecaughtwith
possessionofalcoholarelikelytoworryabouthavingtheirlicensessuspendedforaperiodof
time,havingtopayupafine,facetodocommunityservice,ormeettodomandatoryalcohol
awarenessclasses(YourComplete).Inaddition,worsethingsaddonifaminergetspulled
overandiscaughtdrinkinganddriving.Suchas,jailtimeandincreasingthepenaltiesforevery
timesituationslikethathappen.Ifyoungadultsareoldenoughtoservealcoholandtobewilling

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tofacethechargeswhengettingcaughtdrinkingillegally,theyshouldbeoldenoughtohavea
legaldrinkandbetreatedfairly.
Ifpeopleareoldenoughtovoteandhavetherighttosignacontract,theyshouldhave
theopportunitytotakeadrinklegally.Allowingpeopletogetmarriedattheageofeighteenand
allowingthemtoserveinthemilitaryareadultsituationsanddecisionsthatmightchangetheir
lives,andtheyshouldbeallowedtocelebratewithatoastofanalcoholicbeverageifwanted.
Mostofall,ifpeopleareoldenoughtosmokelegallyinTexas,theyshouldbeoldenoughto
drinkbecausesmokingisactuallyproventobemoredangerousthanalcohol.Inthearticle
DrinkingvssmokingbyCookies,atextfileChannelfournewsusesexplains,Smokingfar
weightsdrinkingwhenitcomestofatalities,thereare11smokingrelateddeathseveryhour
comparetooneanhourforalcohol.Majorityofthesituationsgivenasexamplesshowthat
therearebiggersituationseighteenyearoldsgothrough,andloweringthedrinkingagewouldbe
morebeneficial.
Inordertochangethedrinkingagethegovernmentwouldhavetofirstrealizethatthe
changeisnecessary.Itispossibletoletpeopledrinkandtakeactionsforwhattheyaredoing.
Youngadultsaregoingtodrinkanyways,sotheymightaswellletthemdoitlegally.Thearticle

TheEffectsofthe21YearOldDrinkingAge
ittalksabouthowothercontinentsallow
drinkingatayoungageandthereseemstobelessconsequences.Forexample,JohnMcCardell
whomisfromMiddleburyCollegementions,
Europeanstates,wherethedrinkingageis18or
younger(andoftenunenforced),havemoredrinkingoccasionspermonth,theyhavefewer
dangerous,intoxicationoccasionsthantheirAmericancounterparts.Thisisaupstandingwayin

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showingthegovernmentthatitispossiblethatTexascouldactlikethatiftheylowerthe
drinkingage.
InthearticleofHowaBillBecomesaLawbytheTexasHouseofRepresentativesit
mentionedthatinordertopassadrinkinglawinTexas,Arepresentativeorsenatorgetsanidea
forabillbylisteningtothepeopleheorsherepresentsandthenworkingtosolvetheirproblem.
Itisknownthatanygroupofpeoplecangatherupandstandforsomethingtheywouldliketo
changeintheirarea.Alltheywouldhavetodoisgettheirlocalcongressmentoinitiatetheideas
ofpassingalaw.Oneofthefirststepstopassalawistowritealetterandintroduceitto
congressmentomakeitintoabill.Thebillwillremainthesameuntildecidedtobecomealaw.
Inthecommitteecongresswilltalkanddebatewhetheritshouldbeapproved.Therearecasesin
whichsomebillsdonotmakeitpasttheapproval,sothebillisnolongerinexistence.Forthose
billsthatdogetapprovedtheythenhavetogototheHouseofRepresentativesandtheyvoteon
it.Afterreceivinganothervote,thebillhastostartagainbygoingtotheSenate.Oncethecapital
approvesthebillitistakentothewhitehousetogetthepresident'ssignature.Thereisachance
thepresidentcanrefusetosignitandsayno,evenifthewholecongresssaidyes.Whenthe
presidentsaysnopeoplecantryagainbyusingveto.Thereisalsoalawthatallowsabillto
becomealawiftwothirdsofthepartyvoteyes,itwillmakethebillalawwithouthavingthe
presidentsayingyes.Thereasonforthatissothepresidentdoesnottohavetoomuchpower.It
isspectacularknowingthatpeoplehavetheabilityofmakingachange,expressingtheirnew
ideas,andbeingcapableofmakinganewlawwhenmorethanonepersonworkstogether.
TherearesomereasonswhyTexasdoesnotwanttolowerthedrinkingage.Inthearticle
ofALowerAgeWouldBeUnsafebyLauraMooneyitgivesmultiplereasonswhycountries

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donotwanttolowerthedrinkingage.Theseincludehighpercentagesofpeopleinvolvedincar
accidentshavetodowithunderagedrinkers.Societybelievesitwillcausemoretroublebecause
underagepeoplecouldgorebellious.Riskingyoungadultswayofthinkingbynotallowingthe
braintodevelopfully(Alower).Regardlessofthereasonwhypeopledonotwanttolowerthe
drinkingage,theyshouldbefocusondebatingwhethertheyaretreatingpeoplefairly.The
articleofReturntheDrinkingAgeexplainswhyyoungadultsshouldstillhavetherighttohave
adrinklegallywhenbeingallowedtodoadultdecisions.Forexample,GabrielleGlaserwhom
isajournalistandauthormentions,American18yearoldshavetherighttovote,marry,buy
gunsandjointhemilitary.Thisquotedemonstratesthateventhougheighteenyearoldsarenot
allowedtodrinktheyareallowedtodobiggerdecisionsthatprobablywillbringahugechange
intotheirlives.
Furthermore,loweringthedrinkingagetonineteenwillbringlessproblemstomany
people.BeingabletodrinklegallyinTexasin1971shouldnotstopTexasfromdoingitagain.
Eversince1984eighteenyearoldhavebeenexpectedtostartactinglikeadultsbutwhatgoodis
itifunderagedrinkinglawsarestoppingthemfrombeingtreatedlikefullyadults.Being
eighteengivesthemasmanyrightsastodiefortheircountry,allowpeopletovote,andeven
havinggrownadultresponsibilities.MakingalawinTexasloweringthedrinkingagewillmake
abigchangeinTexasbutatleasttherewillbefairnesswithinpeople.

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WorksCited
Cookies."DrinkingvsSmokingWhichIsWorse?Quiz."
Channel4News
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Glaser,Gabrielle."ReturntheDrinkingAgeto18,andEnforceIt."
Nytimes
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Times,10Feb.2015.Web.18Apr.2016.
McCardell,JohnM."ChooseResponsibility."
LegalAge21
.TheEffectsof
the21YearOldDrinkingAge,Sept.2006.Web.17Apr.2016.
Mooney,LauraDean."ALowerAgeWouldBeUnsafe."
USNews
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&WorldReport,8Sep.2008.Web.25Apr.2016.
NationalInstituteofHealth."UnderageDrinking."
Publications
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InstituteonAlcoholAbuseandAlcoholism,Jan.2016.Web.17Apr.2016.
Sharp,MatthewD."YourCompleteGuidetoUnderageDrinkingLawsin
Texas|TheLawOfficeofMatthewD.Sharp."
TheLawOfficeof
MatthewD.Sharp
.YourCompleteGuidetoUnderageDrinkingLawsin
Texas,08Oct.2014.Web.17Apr.2016.
Snider,Brett."IsItLegaltoServeAlcoholIfYou'reUnder21?"
Free
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Findlaw,13Feb.2014.Web.02May2016.
Straus,Joe."TexasHouseofRepresentatives."
TexasHouseof
Representatives
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2016.