Eighteen is a good year. Young people are able to vote, own property, be considered a legal adult and be drafted into the army and yet they can’t celebrate these freedoms responsibly, with an alcoholic beverage.

This past Halloween weekend, students above and below the age of 21 participated in festivities surrounding alcohol. If people below the age of 21 are going to drink anyway, it should be legal to buy and consume alcohol at the age of 18. The law shouldn’t forbid people below the age of 21, but teach them how to do it right. People can buy and consume alcohol while still being role models and in control.

If people are exposed to alcohol at a younger age, they would be more desensitized to drinking and know their own personal limit. The idea of binge drinking would be less glamorized and seem less intriguing. This would eliminate the risk factor and remove another way for people to rebel.

Society creates a double standard. If an 18-year-old breaks a law, they are charged in court as an adult. They are considered responsible enough to balance their own bank account and own property. They are able to kill and fight for our country. They are considered intellectually capable of voting and picking future leaders. They are expected to act and behave like adults on a daily basis. However, they are not considered responsible enough to buy or consume alcohol at their own risk.

Although this law could be considered not as important as the right of free speech or the right to vote, it could be considered one of the rights of being an adult.

According to the United States Census Bureau, ages 18 to 24 are considered to always have the lowest voter turnout, including voter turnout in this past midterm elections. In terms of politics, politicians generally appeal to the people who are more likely to vote. Since people under 21 are not likely to vote, the right to be considered an adult and consume or buy alcohol is not on anyone’s political agenda.

Stumbling over themselves on a Friday night and not being able to account for their own actions is not a way to justify a person’s right to consume alcohol. People can still have a good time with friend while being responsible and celebrate their right to be an adult whether they are over the age of 21 or not.