Drinking Age adjustment from 21 to 18.

Let me point out that according to my opponent, my first argument is "insignificant." Regardless of how wrong he/she is, the argument is not insignificant. My first argument shows the dangers of alcohol and the vulnerability of an 18 year old hen faced with the decision to drink or pass as their brains are not fully developed. This is significant as the 18 year old will not be able to truly comprehend the permanent damage that drinking will cause them. My opponent then argues that because as 18 year old can be tried as an adult, can vote and can buy cigarettes, they should be legally allowed to buy alcohol. I spot a major flaw in logic that I hope my opponent and the audience will see after reading this. Comparing cigarettes to alcohol cannot be beneficial in stating that alcohol should be legal for 18 year olds. This is because of one simple fact- cigarettes only cause harm to the individual. Yes, there are effects passed on to those around smokers, but it is that individuals responsibility to get themselves away from that situation. However, alcohol leads to more dangerous effects to those not involved in the consumption of alcohol. [1] and [2] show the effects of alcohol to general society, with drunk driving costing the US $132B a year and contributing to 37% of rapes and sexual assault. Through my research, I have not found that smoking cigarettes leads to the same outcomes as drinking alcohol. This is a prime reason why we should reduce alcohol intake as much as possible. Onto my rebuttals of their initial argument: My opponent had historical context in which the law was passed prohibiting minors from drinking/purchasing alcohol. They also stated that many states allow underage drinking when with a parent or for religious or educational reasons. Let's take a look into some of these laws [3]: Colorado- The law permits a student who "tastes but does not imbibe an alcohol beverage only while under the direct supervision of an instructor who is at least twenty-one years of age and employed by a post-secondary school; Florida- *The law permits "the tasting of alcoholic beverages by a student who is at least 18 years of age" as part of a course at an accredited post-secondary educational institution, but the student may not "consume or imbibe" the alcohol. Missouri- The law permits a student 18 years of age or older who is enrolled in a culinary course at an accredited college or university "to taste, but not consume or imbibe, any beer, ale, porter, wine, or other similar malt or fermented beverage as part of the required curriculum." You see, majority of the laws only allow a taste of alcohol and those that don't do not allow the minor to get black out drunk without penalty. So to change the law to make it more dangerous because minors can sip alcohol at the age of 18 with an adult present is illogical and therefore shall not be implemented. My opponent then argues for the right of choice. This is a right that people can have, yes, but that does not mean that their choice is immune to punishment. I have the right of choice to drink as a 16 year old, but that does not make me immune to my punishment and that is not a valid argument in any type of federal or state court. Throughout this argument, my opponent continues to compare rights such as being tried as an adult and voting to rights that WILL physically and mentally harm you and those who surround you, more so than cigarettes (which I presume is why cigarettes are available for purchase at an earlier age). My opponents final argument is that the legal age for drinking is not for the protection of society but rather to strip your freedom of choice, which is extremely more illogical than they accused my arguments of being. If the government wanted to strip the rights of the individuals, they'd make things like cigarettes and porn unavailable for purchase until a later age, so it is genuinely for the protection of the people. You cannot argue that this is false because cigarettes are available for purchase at 18 because as I have previously proven, alcohol has more fatal effects with a larger victim population. Sources: [1] http://www.madd.org... [2] http://www.ncadd.org... [3] http://drinkingage.procon.org...