Lower Drinking Age Advocated In Op-Ed Written By … College Student


At some point in everyone’s life (generally between the ages of 18 and 21), we come to a crucial and interesting question: Why isn’t the legal drinking age lower?

While many bat that question back and forth a bit before either A) deciding to abide by the rules and wait a few more years or B) saying “screw it” and drinking anyway, it’s actually a question worth asking and debating. Indeed, there are persuasive pros and cons to each side.

Most recently, Junior Geng Ngarmboonanant of Yale entered his argument in favor of lowering the drinking age. Despite the fact that the piece is essentially just a college kid’s bemoaning of the fact that he’s missing out on all these party years with his bros, Geng’s argument is actually pretty sophisticated.

“The merits of lowering the drinking age are relatively clear. We know that college students drink. But the current law drives college students ‘underground’ to consume alcohol, like when students take shots in quick succession in dorm rooms. The current drinking age also edges students toward other illegal activities, such as purchasing fake IDs in order to enter bars and clubs,” he writes.

Though he resurrects time-honored arguments (“In this country, a 19-year-old can choose to risk her life on a battlefield but cannot take a sip of beer”) the best part of Geng’s argument is actually his appeal that Yale join 136 other colleges (including Dartmouth and Duke) who are part of the Amethyst Initiative, a coalition of college presidents who believe that the national drinking age should be reconsidered.

He also passively-aggressively hits Yale in the pocket book:

“While there are limitations to what a university can do, we have seen that Yale’s half-a-million lobbying budget can change things,” he argues. Well played.

You can read Geng’s piece here, and for a slightly more in-depth look at the pros and cons to lowering the drinking age, click here.

[Image: Shutterstock]

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