Minimum Legal Drinking Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Minimum Legal drink Age - Essay ExampleThe MLDA has proponents and opponents, who hold fast to their respective positions in this debate (American Medical Association, n.d.). Morris E. Chafetz, in The 21-Year-Old Drinking Age I Voted for it It Doesnt Work, and Toben F. Nelson, and Traci L. Toomey, in The Drinking Age of 21 Saves Lives, adopt opponent views on this issue. Chafetz argues that the MLDA of 21 has not worked, and is not linked to reduced drunk-driving fatalities (7). He holds that enforcing a minimum legal long time for drinking does not take into consideration the deaths caused by alcohol off the highways, and drives teenagers to binge drinking in unsupervised surroundings. On the other hand, Nelson and Toomey take the position that the MLDA of 21 has reduced drinking-related deaths, and decreased binge-drinking in small college students. Although twain authors have credibility and are knowledgeable and logical about the subject, and Chafetz is more accommodating of opposing viewpoints, Nelson and Toomey make a more convincing argument as their stand is supported by across-the-board references to research studies. Both the essays are authored by writers with impeccable credentials. Chafetz is a credible speaker in the MLDA debate, as he is the sire of the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and The Health facts of life Foundation in Washington. His reputation is further bolstered by the fact that he was a member of the presidential Commission on Drunk campaign, Director and Executive Member of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving and the Presidential appointee at The White House Conference for a Drug-Free America. He is withal a Doctor of Psychiatry, with a long history of association with social issues, such as drink and drug abuse. Chafetzs credentials are more than matched by Nelson and Toomey, who belong to the University of Minnesotas school day of Public Health. Their argument is further supported by a group of academicians and researchers. The reputation of the writers contributes to the trustworthiness of the essays and makes them both credible. Similarly, both the essays are written by knowledgeable authors who make their respective positions clear through evident declarations. Chafetz emphatically states that Prohibition is not working among 18-20 year-olds now (8). On the other hand, Nelson and Toomey are equally tight in their conviction that A drinking age of 21 has led to less drinking, fewer injuries and fewer deaths (9). There is no room for ambiguity in either essays and the authors tones convey their absolute belief in the correctness of their respective positions. Similarly, both the authors display knowledge about the issue being debated. As the founder of The National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, Chafetz is obviously conversant with the issue of alcohol consumption and quotes statistics from his bestow that 5,000 lives are lost to alcohol each year by those under 21 (Chafetz 7). As a Doctor of Psychiatry, Chafetz also demonstrates knowledge about brain impairment and alcohol dependency, in line with his employment as a medical doctor. Nelson and Toomey are significantly knowledgeable about the effects of alcohol on college students this is in keeping with their University background.