Throughout the collegiate world, faculty and staff recognize federal alcohol policy as impossible to enforce.\u00a0 Attempts to support the current policy show it to be ineffective and troublesome? Just across the pond, children reach for a glass of wine or a cold beer while at mealtime unlike older Americans whom are expected not to consume any alcoholic beverages until 21.\u00a0 European culture dictates a much different attitude towards alcohol as it is used in moderation, unlike in America where teens are much more likely to binge.
\nRather then reconsidering a law that continues to invite disaster, a blind eye is taken to drinking age reform.\u00a0 Now those closest to the problem are taking action to change this flawed formed policy from their desks around campuses.
\nAs of August 21st, 123 college presidents from around the country joined the Amethyst Initiative, including Tufts University, Syracuse University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, and Ohio State University.\u00a0 They are showing support for a petition to lower the drinking age from 21.\u00a0 To understand this debate best, it is important to return to when alcohol was the forbidden fruit that America would briefly deny fermentation.
\nOn January 16, 1919, the 18th amendment, Prohibition was ratified disrupting saloons across America.\u00a0 Passing over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, intoxicating beverages became illegal, and predictably, withdrawal was swift.\u00a0 Many found innovative and even dangerous ways of obtaining alcohol.\u00a0 Speakeasies popped in where saloons had formerly stood.\u00a0 Organized crime expanded under the undying demand of the public thirst.
\nSound familiar? Young students have been forced to develop their older classmates into the modern day speakeasies.\u00a0 For taking the same risk as those of organized crime, an extra fee is expected, a toll of sorts, but for the added inconvenience college students have successfully circumvented the government that has attempted to regulate their hydration.
\nThe government has taken on an unneeded burden in regulating the sale of alcohol, which 123 pro-active college presidents have recognized as unnecessary for the paws of the government to delve into.\u00a0 The people of Washington in their stuffy offices lack the experience to claim expertise over men and women of the academic world who are surrounded by students regularly.\u00a0 Despite their opinions, the burden on the states that would be taken on of highway funding for disobeying their orders would be catastrophic.\u00a0 It is paramount that alcohol policy changes, as a drinking age of 21 has not solved any problems and instead created more.\u00a0 The longer it takes for change, the greater the side effects.\u00a0 Americans need to make their own decisions, not the government.\u00a0 The government is not the keeper of the people, but has a duty is to protect, not forbid.\u00a0 Why must the men and women of Washington D.C.\u00a0 continue to grasp on for dear life to a policy that can’t be enforced?\u00a0 The best way to learn a lesson is to learn by one self, so why delay the inevitable?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Throughout the collegiate world, faculty and staff recognize federal alcohol policy as impossible to enforce.\u00a0 Attempts to support the current policy show it to be ineffective and troublesome? Just across the pond, children reach for a glass of wine or a cold beer while at mealtime unlike older Americans whom are expected not to consume […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rosskressel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}