Service Learning

Arijhan Yee
Samantha Goldstein
Mrs. Henry
Debates Preparation
Topic: Drinking age in the United States should be lowered from 21 to 18
Your Position: Con- The drinking age should stay at 21.
Framework: (Cite your source next to each premise/argument)
Major Premise 1: When you are eighteen, you are still an adolescent, not an adult
Minor Premise 1: The MLDA should stay at 21 because people tend to be more mature and
responsible at 21 than 18. 18-year-olds are typically entering a new phase of independence
from their parents through college or the workforce, and are more susceptible to binge drinking,
risky sexual activity, and other irresponsible behavior due to lack of maturity. ("Drinking Age
Pros and Cons." ProCon.org. N.p., 10 Mar. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.)
Minor Premise 2: US teenagers also show equal or lower rates of intoxication/binge drinking
than do adolescents from most European countries, and most European countries report higher
rates of intoxication and binge drinking for youth under 13. (Bettina Friese and Joel W. Grube,
"Youth Drinking Rates and Problems: A Comparison of European Countries and the United
States," Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation website, 2010)
Minor Premise 3: In a 2002 meta-study, 87% of the analyses found higher legal drinking ages
associated with lower alcohol consumption. (Alexander C. Wagenaar and Traci L. Toomey,
"Effects of Minimum Drinking Age Laws: Review and Analyses of the Literature from 1960 to
2000," Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 2002)
Major Premise 2: Alcohol is a depressant and a lowered drinking age could cause mental
health issues
Minor Premise 1: Lowering the drinking age would have dangerous long-term consequences:
Early teen drinkers are not only more susceptible to alcoholism but to developing the disease
earlier and more quickly than others. (Dean-Mooney, Laura. "A Lower Age Would Be Unsafe."
U.S. News. N.p., 8 Sept. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.)

Minor Premise 2: Recent studies have suggested that nearly one-third of people with mental
illness experience alcohol abuse. Conversely, more than one-third of all alcohol abusers are
also battling mental illness (Freedman, Jacob L. "Alcohol and Mental Illness Fact Sheet." The
National Alliance on Mental Illness (2013): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.)
Minor Premise 3: people who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder at some point
in their lives are responsible for the consumption of 69% of alcohol (Bussing-Birks, Marie.
"Mental Illness and Substance Abuse." Mental Illness and Substance Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Mar. 2016.)
Major Premise 3: A lowered age limit means there is a high chance for accidents that lead to
death
Minor Premise 1: 100 of the 102 analyses (98%) in a 2002 meta-study of the legal drinking age
and traffic accidents found higher legal drinking ages associated with lower rates of traffic
accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Traffic Safety Facts,"
nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov, 2008)
Minor Premise 2: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that
MLDA 21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-year-olds by 13% and
saved approximately 27,052 lives from 1975-2008. (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, "Traffic Safety Facts," nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov, 2008)

Minor Premise 3: ... More than 50 high-quality scientific studies all found the 21 law saves lives,
both on and off the road. (Dean-Mooney, Laura. "A Lower Age Would Be Unsafe." U.S. News.
N.p., 8 Sept. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.)

Planning the Structure of the Debate:

Who is presenting what and when? Indicate a name next to each section so I know who
is doing what.
Opening Statement: 3 min
SAM
1st Rebuttal: 2 min
ARIJHAN

2nd Rebuttal: 2 min

SAM
Open Forum: 3 min
BOTH
Closing Statement: 2 min
ARIJHAN