“The principal problem…is clandestine binge drinking” -John McCardell, 2009

The current drinking age law promotes the binge drinking culture, which in turn, causes detrimental, and often fatal consequences for both the individuals who partake in binge drinking and those who do not. Binge drinking among underage Americans is widespread: according to the 2015 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about five million Americans between the ages of twelve and twenty reported binge drinking in the past month, which is about 13% of the age group (Facts). As for the effects of binge drinking, researchers predict that each year in the age group between eighteen and twenty-four years old, 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries such as car crashes, 696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking and 97,000 students report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Facts). From a consequentialist standpoint, the law is unethical because its effects harm the lives of many Americans.

“Trash(ed)” (Creative Commons)

This “clandestine binge drinking culture” of unauthorized and risky behavior among young Americans is prevalent on college campuses. (Statement). As former Middlebury College president John M. McCardell stated in 2009, “of the 5,000 lives lost to alcohol each year by those under 21, more than 60 percent are lost OFF the roadways…the principal problem of 2009 is clandestine binge drinking” (McCardell). As McCardell states, binge drinking “happens in ‘pre-gaming’ sessions in locked dorm rooms where students take multiple shots of hard alcohol in rapid succession, before going to a social event where alcohol is not served. It happens in off-campus apartments beyond college boundaries and thus beyond the presidents’ authority” (McCardell). The drinking age law perpetuates a high-risk binge drinking culture and denies young Americans the chance to learn safer drinking habits in safe environments. The law is unethical for its counterproductive effect and unethical promotion of the clandestine drinking culture for underage Americans.

HAZE, a documentary produced by The Gordie Foundation, tells the story of Gordie Bailey and the effects of hazing and binge drinking on college campuses.