Underage drinking

I do realize that this can be a sensitive subject seeing as how alcohol is a culprit among the leading causes of teenage death in the United States, however, I do not believe that this tragic incidents such as the one in your article should set the barometer in the consideration of lowering the drinking age. The reality is that kids drink. Kids younger than 21 and 18 drink. That's no secret. Personally I have always believed in the theory of lowering the legal drinking age to 18 primarily based on the same beliefs you have.

The mere notion that adults have the option to willingly sacrifice their lives for a country that won't even let them kick back and blow off a little steam (steam probably caused by that very profession) is borderline offensive. On top of that, there is the ability to gain experience by consuming legally which might lead to the benefit of more responsible drinking. And an immediate benefit would be the number of arrests dramatically decreasing, which would probably yield the result of a decrease in future crime rates.

This theory has always reminded me of the controversy that has surrounded sex ed and distributing condoms in schools. Now just because you educate me on sex and give me something to use during sex doesn't mean I'm going to go crazy and start humping everything in sight. And who's to say most of those same kids haven't been having uneducated and unprotected sex. At least this way, this kids who do receive this education now have the option to be or not be sexually active knowing the possibility of contracting an STD or dealing with pregnancy.

I'm not saying this is a good not a bad idea, I'm just saying there are things to be considered when the topic of underage drinking arises. Do I think this will solve the epidemic? No. But it has the potential to help or decrease it. There is nothing more tempting to a teenager than the prospect of rebelling. What would happen if that was taken away?