Article #3: Two Sides

These are the notes on my 3rd (and maybe final) article. This article was on the debate about drinking age (again,) and had really good information on both sides of the controversy.

Margaret

Mrs. Zurkowski

Purples

27 September 2010

Underage Binge Drinking

Gathering Information- Notes

"Alcohol Issues." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 20 Feb. 1998. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i0300380>.

·         Roderic Park (chancellor of the University of Colorado) suggests that states should “focus on teaching students to drink responsibly” rather than trying to stop them all together.

o   He also suggests that states “issue “learner's permits" that allow people to drink alcohol after they complete intensive educational programs about drinking, similar to the way states issue driver's licenses.”

·         Supporters of the lower drinking age say that the higher drinking age simply forces the drinking “underground,” where it cannot be supervised

o   They argue that the lower drinking age would let the students drink openly under the supervision of school officials

o   David Hanson (a sociology professor) says “We have driven them off campus, so now we have no control over their drinking.”

o   Hanson also says that when students are unsupervised, "they're much more likely to engage in drinking games, which encourage rapid consumption of large quantities of alcohol,"

·         Supporters also say that if the drinking age were lowered, colleges could focus on encouraging students to drink in moderation, “rather than…an unrealistic request to abstain from alcohol completely

BUT

·         Opponents say that a lower drinking age would raise rates of drunk-driving and give new life to “blood borders”

·         “Many college administrators argue that limiting access to alcohol remains the best and most effective way to discourage binge drinking.”

·         Colleges cannot succeed in their battle to stop underage drinking unless they get the help of their communities

·         Another successful way of cracking down on underage drinkers is by passing “zero-tolerance laws” on drivers under the age of 21

OTHER FACTS

·         “76% of high school students drink alcohol”

·         Almost 30% of seniors in high school binge drink

o   This is a much higher rate than in adults

Image Source: http://www.europeword.com/blog/tag/drinking-age/