Prohibition

Prohibition.  The 18^th amendment of the constitution banned the sale of alcohol in the United States.  During the years of prohibition the underground market for alcohol sales skyrocketed as many people ignored a law that they felt infringed upon their freedoms.  With the passing of the 21^st amendment, prohibition was repealed.  However, with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 the country has effectively entered a new era of prohibition.  This act successfully forced all states to change their drinking age to 21 by threatening to take away 10% of highway funding if they did not.  Because of this, people that fall into the 18 to 21 age group are alienated from the rest of the adult population.  These people are able to vote for the leaders of this country, may voluntarily (or be forced to) serve in the military and even pay taxes to the government.  Essentially these people are full acting adults in society, however they are denied their freedom and right to consume alcohol. While many blame those under 21 for drinking alcohol, the blame is to be placed upon a society that constantly tempts these individuals.

It is in human nature to desire what is forbidden.  In the biblical story of Adam and Eve, the two lived in paradise.  All was perfect for them, however, there was only one thing that was forbidden: the fruit of knowledge.  In this story, it didn’t take very long for the two to indulge in the fruit due to temptation and an inherent human nature to want what you can’t have.  Underage drinking is a very similar concept.  Adults younger than 21 see alcohol as their forbidden fruit.  Growing up, there are many things parents forbid, however none of these forbidden pleasures is as pervasive as alcohol.  Alcoholic commercials are constantly portraying the exciting life that goes with drinking alcohol, and even parents drink alcoholic drinks in front of children.  When something like this is surrounding children from a young age—yet is forbidden once you are an adult for no clear reason since everyone older does it— society has made alcohol even more attractive to underage citizens.  Because alcohol is forbidden, yet greatly desired, those under 21 go to extreme measures to obtain alcohol.

If an underage adult wants to drink, they will find a way to obtain alcohol.  There are many illegal and frowned upon ways for under 21 year olds to get alcohol such as going through a parents alcohol closet, purchasing a fake Id, asking someone older to buy it for them, or even stealing alcohol.  Practices like these are dangerous and often illegal for everyone involved.  There exists a great underground market for fake ID’s due to making the drinking age so high as adults in college wish to purchase alcohol and go to bars.  If a fake ID isn’t the answer, people will often just ask older friends who are 21 to buy alcohol for them.  Thus, by making the drinking age 21 the government has not stopped very many people from drinking.  Rather, they have created a very large market for illegal activities that should not have to exist.

Making the drinking age so high causes many adults lives to be ruined at a very early age.  As a high school kid, one of— if not the— biggest motivator in high school is to get into a good college.  Many students take insane amounts of AP’s and extra curricular activities just to make their resume look more attractive for colleges. In many instances, getting caught drinking under 18 can lead to minor punishments and getting the crimes wiped from your record once you turn 18.  However, if you are already 18 and get caught, the punishments can be much more severe and even cause you to not get into a dream school due to criminal charges.  It is very illogical for someone’s dreams to be ruined simply because they decided to drink alcohol once they are an adult.  Therefore, our society has created an ineffective and destructive system where adults can be punished because of their age, and have their lives greatly altered for a seemingly meaningless decision.

For those that believe that prohibition — whether for the whole population or just the 18-21 year old— is a good idea, consider this statistic.  During prohibition, consumption of alcohol initially decreased, however within very little time, alcohol consumption increased to roughly 60-70% of pre-prohibition levels.  This proves that people are more inclined to indulge in something forbidden, as well as that if people want something, they will find ways to obtain it.  Thus, it would be beneficial to our society to lower the drinking age to 18 and decrease the amount of lives ruined by having a high drinking age.

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(http://www.nber.org/papers/w3675)