Readers Question: Evaluate the case that raising the legal drinking age to 21. Will it be more effective than other methods for reducing the harmful effects of alcohol? (15 marks)
- Things to avoid: explaining all the costs of alcohol and negative externality diagrams. The question is about the best methods to reduce alcohol consumption. Basically, the question is: what is best way to reduce alcohol?
Raising the drinking age to 21 will reduce consumption amongst young people because it will be harder to buy alcohol. Also, young people are the most likely group to misuse alcohol; e.g. drinking to excess, which causes accidents, death and health problems. If people start drinking later in life, they may be more likely to drink in moderation and not get addicted at an early age.
However, it will still be possible for young people to drink at home. People will find ways to avoid the legislation e.g. asking older people to buy alcohol for them. Nevertheless, it will be more difficult. For example, a 16 year old may not be able to get away with drinking in a pub any more. If the age is 18, it is much easier for a 16 or 17 year old to get away with drinking alcohol.
This policy doesn’t address the underlying problem of why people want to drink to excess. For that education may be a better solution; education could help to explain the dangers of excess drinking and therefore encourage young people to drink moderation.. However, previous education policies have not seemed to be very effective. Young people don’t want to hear lectures from the government about the dangers of alcohol.
Other Solutions
Higher taxes increase the cost of alcohol and may have a significant effect in reducing demand amongst young people, who have lower disposable incomes. If demand is reduced by say 20% this may reduce many of the problems of over-consumption. This policy also raises revenue for the government. But, on the other hand, it may increase the incentive to import low duty alcohol from abroad. Demand for alcohol may also be inelastic and not effective in stopping consumption.
In practise there is very little that the government can do to change social and individual attitudes to alcohol, which is the root cause of most alcohol abuse.
In the US the legal drinking age is 21. They still have many alcohol related problems, but, it is significantly more difficult for young people to regularly drink alcohol.
What do you think – should alcohol be illegal for under 21s?
No it should stay at 18. Raising the drinking age will just make it forbidden fruit among teens. Its human nature to want what we cannot have, especially among teens.
Anyone old enough to go to war and die for their country is certainly old enough to have a drink.
why do you drink what is the point in it? u may not care about what i say but u r doing urself a lot of harm. do u want to die early? ur young u have a lot 2 live for dont let drinking hold u down. coz once u start u cant stop then u’ll b saying bye bye 2 the world(in quite a few cases)
MICHAEL MATE UR TRULY RIGHT I KEEP CRASHING MA CAR WHEN IM DRINKING. UR SUPER DA RIGHT I DRINK AND ALSO CRAH MA CAR. nanananannanaananaannaannaannanaa every body sing!
I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD KEE THE DRINKING AGE COS I LIKE TO DRINK ALOT AND CRASH MA CAR
Hi i am from Greece/Hellas! Here the legan age for drinking is 17!we finish the school at the age of 18! how can an 17-years old teenager, who is STILL going to school, drink heavy drinks?it is unbelievable how we let them drink like an 30 years old adult?! also an 18 new adult is not enough mature sometimes…isn’t he?!
THE LEGAL AGE FOR DRINKING ALCOHOL SHOULD BE AT 21!
xx