One of the most contradicting laws, if not the most, throughout the United States of America is the one stating the legal drinking age to be 21. I am here to change it – or at least make a case to lower the age.
The law is contradicting because it gives the impression that a person is not a complete adult until that magical age. But many other factors contribute to a person becoming an “adult.”
An obvious example of someone coming of age would be when they can legally buy cigarettes. Now correct me if I am wrong, but a person can buy those death sticks once he or she becomes an “adult” at age 18, right?
So although 18-year-olds cannot drink alcohol, they can blacken their lungs, move closer to cancer, contribute to air pollution and pass on second-hand smoke, which is, along with packs of Camels, one of the leading killers in the United States.
But why does the government not raise the age to 21 of those wishing to purchase cigarettes? The answer is as simple as a dollar sign. Yes, that is right, big business takes the front of the line before anything else in our government, including the tobacco industry.
Before moving on, let us recap: An 18-year-old cannot buy alcohol but can suck the tail pipe of a car, I mean, smoke a pack of cigarettes when he or she wants.
Our 18-year-old individual with the blackened lungs is also eligible to vote. What a great thing freedom of choice is. We (all of us lucky enough to be 18 and older) can decide which direction this great nation of ours goes. We can vote on issues and propositions that mold our freedom with our ballot in one hand and our root beer, not regular beer but root beer, in the other.
Recap No. 2: Our soon-to-be-diagnosed-with-lung cancer 18-year-old still cannot drink a drop of alcohol but can decide the fate of our nation because, unlike popular belief, every vote counts.
What if our 18-year-old likes to hunt? Well, he or she can go down to the local gun shop and purchase a rifle or a shotgun. Is that not a shocker? A person can buy a rifle or a shotgun but cannot buy alcohol. Is something wrong here?
OK, so an 18-year-old cannot buy a handgun until he or she is 21, but, the last time I checked, a rifle or a shotgun does just as much, if not more, damage than a handgun. The only difference is that one can conceal a handgun.
And if that same 18-year-old, who smokes a pack of Camels, votes for his favorite Congressman and buys a rifle, goes postal and shoots a person or two, then he or she can be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty because he or she is an “adult.”
Why is it a person is ruled an “adult” at 18 when it comes to matters of the justice system and not matters in a bar? Does this seem fair to anyone?
The definition of an “adult” should be one and not a couple. I am 20 and sometimes I still feel like a child when it comes to alcohol, gambling, buying handguns, etc. I understand the need for rules and regulations, so do not worry, President Morgan, I am perfectly happy with the dry campus here at La Verne.
But the contradiction of rules in our nation needs a fix. If an 18-year-old can go to prison for life, vote, buy cigarettes and rifles, then why can he or she not purchase alcohol at that same age? If the lines are drawn in the sand separating adults and youth, then those in charge of drawing the lines should consider a real “adult” age and not two or three different interpretations.
Greg MacDonald, a junior journalism major, is sports editor of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at gmacdona@ulv.edu.
