To successfully complete this discussion, you will need to use the Strayer University library and/or the Internet to conduct independent research on the legal drinking age in the United States as compared to other countries.
The current legal drinking age in the United States is 21. After turning 21, people may lawfully consume alcohol. However, prior to 21, purchasing, possessing, or consuming alcohol is considered a criminal offense. Conversely, the legal voting age in the United States is 18; the legal driving age is 16.
Your reading this week introduced you to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the reticular activating system (RNS). These arousal systems, centered in the brain, influence our behavior. Medical science reports the brain does not fully develop until the age of 25. Specifically, “brain imaging studies show that in adolescents, the region of the brain implicated in decision making and risk assessment is still developmentally immature. At the same time, the part of the brain that plays a role in regulating pleasure and reward is relatively more active than in other periods of development.”
CNN reporting suggests findings consistent with medical science: “Teenagers are much more likely to take serious risks, especially when they are with their peers. They’re also less able to control their impulses in stressful or heated situations.” (1)
With this background information about adolescent brain development and the independent research you’ve conducted in mind, please respond to the following in a substantive post:
Determine whether the selection of the legal drinking age in the United States was an arbitrary decision or one based on facts.
Compare/contrast:
The legal drinking age in the United States with that of other countries.
Alcohol-related crimes in the United States with those of other countries.
Recommend what you think about the following and provide the rationale for your recommendations.
What should be the legal drinking age in the United States?
What constitutes an appropriate punishment for those who violate your recommended drinking age?
Provide full citations and references, formatted according to Strayer Writing Standards.
For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.
Please respond substantively to at least one other post. Choose to respond to those who have few or no responses.
If possible, select someone who recommended a different legal drinking age from you:
What are the merits of your classmate’s argument? The criticisms?
What is something you still have a question about related to your classmate’s post?
What additional information could you recommend to your classmate about this issue?
Sources
Harmeet Kaur. September 24, 2020. The U.S. Plans to Execute a Man for a Crime He Committed at 19. Scientists Say the Research on Brain Development Makes That Wrong. http://cnn.com/2020/09/24/us/christopher-vialva-execution-brain-development-trnd/index.html
RESPONSE TO
Shinica Wallace RE: Week 4 DiscussionCOLLAPSEOverall Rating:
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Hello Classmates and Professor
Determine whether the selection of the legal drinking age in the United States was an arbitrary decision or one based on facts.
I believe that the legal age of drinking in the United States was based on facts. Knowing that it wasn’t until 1984 when Congress passed the bill for the legal age to be 21 before that many states’ drinking age was lower than that. I believe they looked at the fact that neuroscientists discovered that the brain isn’t fully developed until the age of 25.
Compare/contrast:
The legal age in the United States with that of other countries.
The legal age in the United States compared to that of other countries is a lot different. Out of 191 countries, 61% have a drinking age earlier than 21. Unlike Italy who the legal drinking age is 16, The United States is 21 and has to show id.
Alcohol-related crimes in the United States with those of other countries.
Compared to other countries the United States has lower alcohol-related crimes than most countries. In the Uk, 47% of crimes are alcohol-related while in the U.S it is around 40%.
What should be the legal age of drinking in the United States
I would have to go a little higher than 21 for me I would have to say 30. I know that is a little high, But I work with many young people between the age of 18-24, and the way they think nowadays than when I was growing up is a lot different. Between 8-10 teens die every day from driving under the influence.
What constitutes an appropriate punishment for those that violate your recommended age for drinking.
My punishment would be to take their license for six months and complete some kind of class that teaches why it is important to wait until they are legal to drink and those laws are put in play for a reason.
Sources:
https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/crimes/.com
https://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov.com
