Logan Frey

Andrew Brown

April 20th, 2017

UWRT 1104

Project #2: Annotated Bibliography for Lowering the Drinking Age to Eighteen

Balko, Radley. "Let My Students Drink." Reason.com. Reason Magazine, 19 Jan. 2009.
Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
The Let My Students Drink article is written from the viewpoint of John McCardell,
the former president of Middlebury College, who says that the 1984 federal law increasing the
drinking age to 21 has been a major failure, and has encouraged reckless consumption. John
McCardell has not only been a major advocate for lowering the drinking age, but he has started
an organization called Choose Responsibility, which waged a national campaign to lower the
drinking age, which displays McCardells major standpoint on the topic. The article uses
statistics such as how 75% of high school seniors have consumed alcohol and how 66% of high
school sophomore have also consumed alcohol beverages, to support the overall statement that
introducing a law increasing the drinking age to 21 has played a role in forcing the drinking
scene amongst teenagers underground and encourage reckless consumption.
The reason behind choosing Let My Students Drink, which is a magazine article
written by Radley Balko is because it was a very informational article due to the fact that it was
written in the viewpoint of a former college president, John McCardell. With John McCardell
being a former college president, he can vouch for the unreasonable drinking age and how many
individuals under the age of the legal limit are breaking the law by drinking on college
campuses, as well as outside of college campuses. John McCardell also started the organization
called Choose Responsibility, which funded a national campaign to lower the drinking age to 18,
which shows the measures some individuals are willing to take in order to advocate for this
cause. In terms of the writer, Radley Balko is a distinguished writer who was a policy analyst for
the Cato Institute specializing in civil liberties issues, where he published a paper on alcohol
policy. He has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The National Post and
ESPN, as well as being a columnist for FoxNew.com from 2002 until 2009, which is a reflection
of the quality of writer Randy Balko is and the quality of this source.

Belluck, Pam. "Vermont Considers Lowering Drinking Age to 18." Science in Context
[Gale]. York Times, 13 Apr. 2005. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
An article written to display the current drinking age in Vermont and how the universal
drinking age throughout the United States has had a negative impact on individuals currently
restricted from drinking. Due to the current drinking age of 21, John M. McCardell, a retired
president of Middlebury College stated, The 21-year-old drinking age is a bad social policy and
terrible law (McCardell 1), that has led to binge drinking by teenagers and has driven the
drinking scene behind closed doors and underground. In this article, advocates for lowering the
drinking age argue based on past experiences that before the age was increased, we had a very
different environment. You had kids drinking beer and getting sick on beer, but you didnt have
gross alcohol poisoning and binge drinking (Liebowitz 1). The overall basis of this article is
how lowering the Vermont drinking age to eighteen could have numerous negative effects, but
could also eliminate binge drinking amongst teenagers and improve the overall drinking
environment.
The reason I chose Vermont Considers Lowering Drinking Age to 18 database article,
written and published by The New York Times is because it focuses on reducing the drinking age
to 18 in the state of Vermont, but numerous lawmakers and legislators are skeptical knowing
Vermont would lose 9.7 million dollars in federal money for highway funding. The main reason I
chose this article is because it states drinking is seen as a forbidden fruit which makes
underage individuals/college students to leave campus to drink at private homes, which then
requires them to drive back to campus or wherever that individual is living. The article describes
the safety measures underage individuals must take in terms of drinking in places they wont get
caught, which pushes these individuals in uncontrolled and dangerous situations that makes
drinking for these individuals more dangerous than it already is. Due to this article being written
and published by The New York Times, it displays the credibility of this source and the quality of
information being shared. With The New York Times being a credible news outlet, this article
and the information this article is distributing provides individuals with useful and informational
evidence for why this cause is very debatable.

Christensen, Jen. "21: Science's Limit When It Comes to the Drinking Age." CNN. Cable
News Network, 15 July 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
An article written to discuss how the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which
withheld a percentage of highway funds from any state that didnt raise the minimum drinking
age to 21 may be the reason why drinking is more appealing to teenagers who naturally seek out
risk, without considering the consequences. The writers of the article include a survey conducted
amongst students at 56 colleges across the United States a couple years after the drinking age
was increased and found that significantly more under age students drank compared to those of
legal age. The article summarizes current data from the National Survey on Drug Use and
Health and Monitoring the Future, and it concludes that most of the college students who choose
to drink are under the age of 21 and are binge drinking. It uses medical research to display how
binge drinking can have a damaging impact on developing brains amongst teens, and without the
basic knowledge of drinking and how much oneself can handle in terms of alcohol that could be
taught through earlier exposure to alcohol and earlier knowledge of alcohol, the binge drinking
that is occurring between individuals under the legal age could have a lasting impact on those
individuals.
The reason I chose 21: Sciences Limit When It Comes to the Drinking Age, news
article written by Jen Christensen is because it shares specific statistics in terms of the drinking
age and how many college students partake in underage drinking. It also states that most college
students who choose to drink are binge drinking, and goes on to reference a study done by
Harvard which displays that seven out of ten students are consuming five or more drinks in a
row. The article uses statistics and studies done by numerous colleges to develop quality
information, which is part of the reason why I chose this article. This article written by Jen
Christensen and published by CNN, a credible news outlet provides readers credible and quality
information based on the type of outlet the information is being provided by. Jen Christensen is a
producer/editor with CNNs Health, Medical, and Wellness unit, a documentary and investigative
producer, and reporter with CNN.com which displays her credibility and quality of her writings.

Fulton, Wil. "Is It Time to Lower the Drinking Age to 18?" Thrillist. Thrillist, 29 Mar.
2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
An article written in regards to how the specific drinking age has increased to the age of
twenty-one, using Europe as a model for lowering the drinking age, and observing the topic from
a doctors point of view. Wil Fulton, a staff writer for Thrillist, introduces the topic of lowering
the drinking age and uses supporting details to reinforce the topic when using a quote by Dr.
Patrick Neustatter that says, Its always blown my mind how American college culture is so
focused on drinking, while most of the students are doing this illegally (Neustatter 1). This
article also compares the American drinking age to the European drinking age where a twelve-
year-old child enjoying a glass of wine is uncommon. When comparing the American drinking
age to the European drinking age, it can be seen that European children knew how much alcohol
they could handle because they were taught about it in an upfront, transparent way. Dr.
Neustatter also stated, If the question was whether to lower the drinking age to say, 15, this
would be a much different conversation. But the mere three years between 18 and 21 doesnt
make that big of a difference. Its pretty much the same brain physiologically, and
psychologically (Neustatter 1). When using a doctors input on a topic such as this one, and
considering the medical standpoint on the topic can highly increase the support that a topic such
as this one can be receiving.
The reason behind choosing Is It Time to Lower The Drinking Age to 18 article,
written by Wil Fulton is because it is an extremely informational article that will have readers
jumping on board with the rights cause to reduce the drinking age to 18 within minutes. In my
opinion, the most influential part of this article is when it states, In America, eighteen-year-olds
can vote, operate a motor vehicle, pay taxes, marry, become a legal guardian, own a gun, fight
and die in a foreign country, and even become governor of the great state of Rhode Island. With
the vast amount of rights that eighteen year olds gain when becoming a legal adult, most
individuals would agree that lowering the drinking age and allowing 18 year olds to legally drink
wouldnt be the most absurd and unreasonable law to create. The article also uses European
countries as an example to display the benefits of reducing the drinking age, which allows
individuals to learn how to drink more responsibly at a younger age. This article, written by Wil
Fulton is a very informational piece that provides credible information and information that can
be extremely useful in terms of advocating the rights cause to reduce the drinking age.

ProCon. "Drinking Age ProCon.org." Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a
Younger Age? ProCon.org, 24 Mar. 2017. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
The Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age article introduces
the topic of drinking and begins by stating, All 50 US states have set their minimum drinking
age to 21 although exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for consumption, under adult
supervision, for medical necessity, and other reasons (ProCon 1). The article uses medical
evidence, alcohol related statistics, and other alcohol related information to provide pros and
cons for the overall affect lowering the drinking age could have. In terms of lowering the legal
drinking age to 18, the article argues that individuals who are eighteen years of age are able to
vote, join the military, serve in jury duty, make decisions regarding medical treatments, and be
prosecuted as an adult, so why shouldnt an eighteen-year-old be able to legally drink based on
how much responsibility is placed on an individual that is eighteen years of age?
The reason I chose Drinking Age ProCon.org article written by ProCon.org is because
it provides readers with useful information in terms of positive and negative sides of potentially
reducing the legal drinking age to 18. I chose this article because, although it shares both pros
and cons to reducing the legal drinking age to eighteen, I believe that the pros highly outweigh
the cons and is a reflection for the benefits that could come from reducing the legal drinking age.
The article states that, Although many believe that anyone under the age of 21 is prohibited
from consuming alcohol in the United States, underage drinking is allowed in 29 states if done
on private premises with parental consent, 25 states if for religious purposes, and 11 states if for
educational purposes (ProCon.org 1). Therefore, although the legal drinking age has strictly
regulated the drinking age, there are some exceptions to underage drinking which displays that
the strict drinking law isnt as strict as most people thought. The ProCon.org article Drinking
Age ProCon.org, is an article created by a nonprofit public charity support by individuals
donations, which not only show that numerous people already support the rights cause to reduce
the legal drinking age, but it is an origination that has drastically gained credibility through the
numerous articles it has written.

Sullum, Jacob. "College Dry." Reason.com. Reason Magazine, 01 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 Apr.
2017.
An article regarding the one hundred plus presidents and chancellors assembled under the
banner of the Amethyst Initiative to advocate the issue of underage drinking and how reducing
the drinking age could lead to safer drinking environments and reduce the dangers of drinking
amongst teenagers. Although the Amethyst Initiative has been facing criticism from Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (MADD), they have been able to overcome the criticism and clearly
present their case in terms of displaying how the current drinking age undermines respect for the
law and prevents faculty members from teaching responsible drinking. Not only does the current
drinking age prevent the teaching of responsible drinking, but it discourages students and
individuals under the drinking age from seeking help when they are in alcohol-related trouble.
This article has made it clear that although the Amethyst Initiative has faced criticism and lost a
few members of the group, they have been able to display their belief on the topic and even gain
support through the addition of new members.
I chose the magazine article College Dry, written by Jacob Sullum because it is an
extremely valuable article in terms of providing information to advocate the rights cause to
reduce the drinking age to eighteen. Jacob Sullum begins the article by introducing the Amethyst
Initiative, which is a group of more than 100 university presidents and chancellors who stated
the current minimum age of 21 undermines respect for the law, prevents faculty members from
teaching and modeling responsible drinking, discourages students from seeking help when they
get into alcohol-related trouble, and encourages consumption in private, unsupervised settings
where excess is more likely (Reason.com 1). With the information the Amethyst Initiative uses
to advocate the rights cause to reduce the drinking age, I thought that this would be the perfect
magazine article to use as a source. In terms of credibility, Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at
Reason Magazine, as well as an author of numerous news articles carried by news outlets across
the U.S. including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times, therefore this
article is a display of a credible and quality source.

Wilkinson, Will. "Bottoms Up!" Points of View Reference Center [EBSCO]. Forbes. Vol.
182 Issue 5, P28-28. 1p. 1 Black and White Photograph., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
The Bottoms Up! article discusses the legal drinking and how a hundred and thirty
college presidents and chancellors have gathered to advocate against the unrealistic legal
drinking age. By tradition, each state was able to set its own minimum drinking age until 1984
when the U.S. Congress introduced a federal law stating that if a state were to pick a drinking
age less than 21 it could lose 10% of its federal highway funds. Due to the wide usage of
transportation throughout the United States, all states agreed to set their legal drinking age at 21
which has been a very controversial topic since the federal law was introduced. Throughout the
article, the college presidents and chancellors advocating against not just lowering the drinking
age, but completely getting rid of it provide specific facts and details regarding drinking and how
regulating and supervising drinking amongst young individuals could provide a safer drinking
environment while making drinking another activity for teens to learn how to do safely, like
riding a bicycle or learning how to swim.
The underlying reason for choosing Bottoms Up! database article, written by Will
Wilkinson is because it is an extremely influential article that provides individuals information
on the background of how the current legal drinking age has come to be the way it is and the
negative affects it has had on numerous underage individuals. I chose this article because it
displays the dangers of the current drinking age, and Will Wilkinson made this clear by stating,
Age limits make drinking a badge of adulthood and build in the minds of teens a romantic sense
of the transgressive danger of alcohol. That's what so often leads to the abuse of alcohol as a
ritual of release from the authority of parents. And that's what has the college presidents worried.
They see it (Wilkinson 1). This article has made it clear that the current drinking age has led to
dangerous drinking situations amongst underage individuals and even provides statistics in terms
of how many underage individuals as young as American tenth graders have consumed alcohol.
Forbes is an extremely credible source that continues to provide quality information on a vast
number of topics; therefore, this article provides credible and quality information that can be
used while advocating this specific rights cause.