The legal drinking age should be reduced from 21 to 18 years of age. This change will effectively tear down the mystique of drinking among young people, and with it, decrease the number of fatalities and damage affiliated with excessive drinking. In conjunction with a reduction in the drinking age, penalties for DWI and sexual assault should be elevated to mirror the severity and societal impact of these crimes.
Lowering the drinking age to 18 would not only save lives, it would also save money. It is nearly impossible to enforce this law, and attempting to do so is a gross waste of funds. Moreover, the illogic of adulthood beginning when a person turns 18 (voting, military service, etc.), while the drinking age is 21, is painfully obvious.