Drinking Age

Table of Contents

Introduction
Pros
- Pro 1: 18 is the age of legal majority (adulthood) in the United States.
- Pro 2: MLDA 21 is ineffective because young adults will consume alcohol regardless, leading to dangerous behaviors.
- Pro 3: MLDA creates a mindset of noncompliance with the law among young adults.
Pro Quotes
Cons
- Con 1: Alcohol consumption before age 21 is irresponsible and dangerous.
- Con 2: MLDA 21 lowers alcohol consumption and illicit drug use across age groups.
- Con 3: Alcohol consumption should be based on age of license (legality), rather than age of majority (adulthood).
Con Quotes
State-by-State MLDA 21 Adoption and Exceptions
- Sources for State-by-State MLDA 21 Adoption and Exceptions
International Minimum Ages for Sales of Alcohol
- Source for International Minimum Ages for Sales of Alcohol
Discussion Questions
Take Action
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Underage teens drinking in a park

Read Next

Several types of bottled alcohol are displayed on some shelves in a pub in Bucharest, Romania.

Why Does Drinking Give You a Hangover?

Hand washing. Healthcare worker washing hands in hospital sink under running water. contagious diseases wash hands, handwashing hygiene, virus, human health

17 Questions About Health and Wellness Answered

Discover

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics

10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time

Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece

Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.

Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?

Plato (left) and Aristotle, detail from School of Athens, fresco by Raphael, 1508-11; in the Stanza della Segnatura, the Vatican. Plato points to the heavens and the realm of Forms, Aristotle to the earth and the realm of things.

Plato and Aristotle: How Do They Differ?

Drinking Age: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Underage teens drinking in a park

See All Images →

Topics

alcohol consumption Death Penalty Gun Control Recreational Marijuana Police Body Cameras Private Prisons Prostitution