Amethyst Initiative

For many years, one of the biggest issues nationwide has been the abuse of alcohol by all age groups; however, this is primarily true for the 18-21 year old age bracket. In 1987, Ronald Reagan and his administration pressured states by threatening local funding cuts. His ultimate goal was for a nationwide minimum legal drinking age of 21 (Tooney, et al, 2009). Supporters of this, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), believed that this law would end drunk driving related deaths. As a counteraction to MADD, the Amethyst Initiative formed. The Amethyst Initiative was a group consisting of over 135 university presidents in favor of lowering the legal drinking age to 18 as of May 11, 2009 (Tooney, et al, 2009). John McCardell, former-president…

Shari Neuroth Professor Abby Ruby Crew Spring 2017 – English Comp II – Rhetorical Analysis February 12, 2017 Work Chosen for my Rhetorical Analysis: The Amethyst Initiative; It’s Time to Rethink the Drinking Age (The Harbrace Guide to Writing, 2013, p. 29). The Amethyst Initiative (AI) was founded by John McCardell, a former history professor and President of Middlebury College in Vermont, and a group of U.S. college presidents and university chancellors in 2008. The AI is an…

The legal drinking age for military serving on active duty can vary from around the world. The minimum drinking age in the United States military is twenty-one and in other countries the minimum drinking age is eighteen. Germany has maybe the most relaxed laws for military personnel, which they only have to be eighteen to drink and can drink a maximum of two beers during the duty day. Young men and women can join the United States military at eighteen, have the right to vote, are tried as an…

Geltman describes how she is a “professor of public health and the parent of a 25-year old, 23-year old, and a 16-year old” which certainly gives her a sense of qualification when speaking about the matter. The life experiences she describes also give her a level of qualification. Geltman attempts to convince the reader of her credibility by making these statements and by describing how policymakers should follow the advice of 150 university and college presidents who signed the Amethyst…

component of a current young-adult generation, there is alcohol presented everywhere, whether it be in our very own homes or at a high school party. If the age was reduced to 18, Their would be less DUI’s because adolescents would be more compliant not to drink. There would simply be no more hype about alcohol anymore, thus causing less of a legal and authoritative issue. Statistically speaking, lowering the MDLA would help America save lives in ways that no one genuinely thought twice about.…

Law enforcement also has the duty to stop illegal behavior. There have been several instances in across the U.S. where the police fail to punish minors for drinking under the age. When the police show up at a party where teens are getting drunk they have been known to respond to the situation by taking the alcohol and making their parents pick them up. Nothing goes on the person who provides the alcohol or the minor’s record; both groups are simply given a warning. The drinking law is a commonly…

Hundreds of teens have been injured or died each year for underage drinking and driving. The alcohol age should not be lowered to 18, it needs to remain at 21 in order to protect teens from hurting themselves. Many young teens are experiencing the issues of drinking too much, and because of this, underage drinking is a leading public health problem. Some studies show that young people who drink put themselves at risk for potential health problems. About 5,000 people under the age of 21 die…

The magical number eighteen is when one is considered an adult along with being eligible to vote, get married, join the military, and even purchase tobacco however an eighteen year old is not allowed to purchase or consume alcohol. Thirty years ago the legal drinking age in America was set at eighteen years old , and things regarding alcohol use were okay back then however the only problem was the casualties drunk driving caused. I believe the legal drinking age is past due and America is…

Some people think that the age of responsibility is 18, because that is when you legally become an adult. Others think that the age of responsibility is 21, because that is the legal age to drink, and that’s when most people are getting their lives figured out. But is there really a set age of responsibility? And when should a person be considered responsible? I don’t think there is a set age of responsibility because I know people who still live with their parents who are in their 20’s, almost…

When you turn 18, it gives you legal rights to buy tobacco. When you turn 18 your minor rights get taken away, anything you do, you’re charged as an adult, with this being said if we are being charged as adults through legal legislation believing we need to be treated as adults then being able to drink at 18 should be approved. Why? In my opinion if everything we do get charged as adults if we get treated as adults then we should be able to drink like adults. If we cannot buy alcohol or consume…