The future

Affecting the MLDA will take a significant toll on the future of many peoples
lives, and will have many consequences that are not beneficial to society.
Consequences: health, enforcement, safety
o Behavior related to the brain (Lindsey):
Applying for jobs in the future:
Studies have revealed a consistent association between
higher levels of alcohol consumption and academic
performance. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA) Task Force on College Drinking reports
that about 25 percent of college students report academic
problems caused by alcohol use, such as earning lower
grades, doing poorly on exams or papers, missing class,
and falling behind.
Criminal charges can have a lasting impact on your
reputation and employment even when the charges are
dismissed. Even though a conviction such as underage
drinking may not appear on a background check it can be
accessed by anyone who has web access to the internet
and court records.
Posting evidence of illegal or unprofessional behavior on
social networking sites may also have a long term impact
on your professional opportunities. A 2009 CareerBuilder
survey of over 2,500 employers found that forty-five
percent admitted routinely screening applicants by
accessing social networks that the prospective employees
think are private. What many students seem not to
realize is that those party pictures will follow them well
beyond the college years.
Trouble with friends, family, police; broken relationships
Violence, assaults, abuse
Drunk driving with other passengers who are vulnerable
In 2010, 16 percent of all drivers involved in fatal
crashes during the week were drunk driving
crashes, compared to 31 percent on weekends.
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
o Enforcements:
(http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/press_room/Media_kits/sb_addressing
.htm)
(http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/alcohol/pdf/lowerthe
drinkingage.pdf)
No reason to believe Fake IDs respect for the law (Lowering
the age of those who own fake IDS, not lowering the number of
fake ID owners)

No more forbidden fruit (Alcohol into a significantly larger

number of peoples hands)
If 18 year-olds get the OK to drink, they will be modeling
drinking for younger teens. Legal access to alcohol for 18
year-olds will provide more opportunities for younger
teens to obtain it illegally from older peers, making
enforcement that much more difficult among high school
students. As a result, parents and schools are huge
proponents of the MLDA.
There is no evidence that there were fewer campus
alcohol problems when lower drinking ages were in
effect. In fact, the MLDA has resulted in decreases
in youth drinking, an outcome inconsistent with an
increased allure of alcohol. In 1983, one year
before the National Minimum Purchase Age Act was
passed (The National Minimum Drinking Age Act
was passed in 1984 by the United States
Congress as a mechanism whereby all states would
become thereafter required to legislate the age of
21 years as a minimum age for purchasing and
publicly possessing alcoholic beverages), 88% of
high school seniors reported any alcohol use in the
past year and 41% reported binge drinking. By
2000, alcohol use by seniors had dropped to 73%
and the percentage of binge drinkers had fallen to
30%.
o Age-21 laws:
Deferring alcohol greatly reduces the risks of problems
Alcoholism: craving, physical dependence, tolerance, no
control
Comparisons with other countries laws. Research comparing drinking among
European countries with lower drinking ages does not support the argument.

Learning to drink responsibly EVENTUALLY??? 21 st birthday celebrations, beer pong

wont disappear, they actually encourage more downing of drinks

Use for rebuttal in case:

1. A 2003 study comparing drinking by 15 and 16-year-olds in the U.S. and
35 European nations found that:
Youth from 34 European nations drank more and binged more than
the U.S. Only youth from Turkey drank less and binged less than U.S.
youth.

 75 percent of the European nations had a higher proportion of

youth who drank to intoxication than U.S. youth.
Another study, which ranked drinking of U.S. 15-year olds to 15-year olds
from 40 other
European and North American countries, found that:
Fewer U.S. 15-year olds reported drinking at least once/week than
those from 32 of the nations.
Fewer U.S. 15-year olds reported having been drunk at least twice
than those from 35 of the nations.
Raising either the minimum legal drinking age and/or the age to
legally purchase alcohol are being or have been considered in several
countries, including Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand and the
United Kingdom.
France has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of 15-to-24year-olds hospitalized for excessive alcohol use between 2004 and 2007.
Alcohol is now the leading factor in deaths among young French people. In
response, the French Health Minister is proposing legislation banning
alcohol sales to minors by 2009.
Alcohol also is related to half of the violent crimes and one-third of
domestic violence incidents in the U.K. Research shows that they are
drinking at an earlier age and are drinking more than ever.
2. Public opinion seems against the lowering of the MLDA:
Survey in 2008: 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age will
make alcohol more accessible to kids and nearly half believe it would
increase binge drinking among teens. More than half even say they are less
likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit
or send their children to colleges or universities with "party school"
reputations.