Alcoholism and alcohol- related deaths have been a major problem in American society since this country began. During the last century, however, advances in knowledge have allowed people to realize the total effect of alcohol abuse on every aspect of life. Legislators, driven by public opinion, find themselves having to decide how to protect the children of America from this harmful chemical, while maintaining the integrity of the Constitution. The theory behind the issue is if this abuse can be stopped while people are young, then they will be less likely to acquire the disease during adulthood. .
"Raising the minimum purchase age for alcohol to 21 throughout the country has been a successful strategy for reducing alcohol use and preventing related problems" (Levy, Miller, Cox, 1999, p. 1). According to the U.S. Department of Justice, since 1975, minimum purchase age laws have prevented more than 17,000 traffic fatalities (Levy, et al, 1999). To focus on the growing cost to society associated with underage drinking, Congress appropriated $50 million over a two-year period to the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to fund the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Program (McKinney, K., 1999). .
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 18,000 young lives have been saved by minimum drinking-age laws (NHTSA, 1998). "Seven out of ten respondents believed that stiffer punishments for teenagers caught drinking would discourage them from obtaining alcohol. "Most favored a one-year license suspension, while the rest supported a penalty of 20 hours of community service" (Alters, 2002, p. 108). According to Alters, adults providing alcohol to teens are responsible for problems associated with teen drinking. Eighty-three percent supported penalties for adults who provide alcohol to underage drinker's (Alters, 2002, p. 109). .
