TO THE EDITOR:
With Election Day right around the corner, there are many issues that are being thrown into the faces of young student voters here at UNC. One prevalent issue is whether or not the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18. It is not because I am an 18-year-old eager to drink legally, but because there are clearly more beneficial effects with lowering the age, that I feel the current law should be changed.
It is indisputable that a drinking age of 21 has had harmful effects on students and campus life. Charges of underage possession, and the charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct that often accompany them, will in many cases stay on a person's record for a lifetime. Also, students over 21 who party with friends a few years younger than them get the rap for giving alcohol to minors. A record like that could prove to be a problem when the time comes to look for a job, to apply for a professional license or to seek admission to graduate school.
Pete Coors, a Colorado Republican vying for a seat in the Senate this fall, strongly supports lowering the drinking age. He thinks that lowering the drinking age will help young people learn to drink responsibly. Treating alcohol as taboo just makes young adults want to drink it more and increases the amount of binge drinking and drinking just to get drunk.
For the most part, we are treated as adults at age 18. We can vote, serve our country, get married and even buy a house at this time. Therefore, it is blatantly inconsistent to forbid people from drinking at this same age. Hopefully, we will see this issue dealt with more as the election approaches.
Lindsey MarckFreshman
Undecided
