Legally, if you are not 21, you cannot purchase alcohol or consume it. “A person 18 years of age or older may purchase a rifle or shotgun from a federally licensed dealer in any state” (NRA-ILA). It is acceptable for someone aged 18 or over to purchase cigarettes if they wish. A person who is 17 years of age may enlist and serve in the United States Army with the consent of a parent. Additionally, a person 18 years of age may enlist without necessary consent and serve in the military of the United States of America. These young adults, just 18, 19, 20 years old, receive extensive training, are given a full range of weapons and are invited to go protect and defend the United States of America. They are often sent to foreign countries and asked to fight and possibly die for their country. The question that needs to be answered is: should the legal drinking age be lowered for active members of the armed forces? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay To begin, let's discuss the change in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 and which group is largely responsible for it. During the 1980s, the MADD group "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers" generated much interest and support for their cause; to stop drunk drivers. This group is largely responsible for the political decision to change the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. The position taken by MADD and its many supporters was that young adults under the age of 21 were simply not mature enough to consume alcoholic beverages. . This organization was also instrumental in the decision that reduced the "legal blood alcohol limit" from 0.10 to 0.08. Now, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, "driving while intoxicated (DWI) is defined as driving while intoxicated, and the state uses your blood alcohol content (BAC) to determine whether you are too drunk to drive a motor vehicle. The standards used to determine this are: if you are 21 years of age or older, 0.08% if you are a commercial driver: 0.04%, and for persons under 21 years of age: any detectable amount” (Brown ). Next, I will explain how other countries approach the issue of legal drinking age and how they have addressed the issue of “underage” drinking. In an article that was produced, concerning the maturity of the young person. “Seen in this light, the question of alcohol consumption at a certain age becomes a question of maturity. These other counties also don't have as many driving accidents or drunkenness problems. This is all because the hype around underage drinking has died down. They also eliminated that mentality that getting drunk is the cool thing to do. These young adults are told that they are going to be deployed to a hostile country and will put their training into practice, but they are not considered mature enough to consume some form of alcoholic beverage. With all the training these young adults receive, their maturity level just grows and grows and grows” (Benton). Our young men and women who join the armed forces at such a young age most often do so without needing assistance from their parents. consent. These young adults say goodbye to their families, receive a gun and are sent hundreds of thousands of miles away./.