It’s Saturday evening. 

For most people, this signifies the end of a workday, when they can finally put some comfortable clothes on and relax. 

But you’re not ‘most people.’ You’re a college student, and the night is still young. 

Tired of sitting in your dorm and eating Ramen noodles, you decide to check out the party that you heard about earlier. 

After freshening up, you start walking to the designated location. As soon as you arrive, you are asked the simplest of questions: “Are you drinking?” Your answer is practically automatic, because you want to make the most of your college experience. 

Saying yes, you hand over the crumpled 5-dollar bill in your pocket and get a red cup in return.

This choice is neither unheard of nor uncommon among minors; in fact, it is typical. Despite the current drinking law, those still underage have found methods around it, whether through fake IDs or the help of someone of legal age. 

Either way, many who are not yet 21 are consuming alcohol.

Seeing that this is true, and the existent law has had no effect, then why hasn’t the age been lowered? While this idea has already been taken into account, especially by college officials, no legislative action has been taken. 

As a result, the issue at hand has worsened considerably, with kids already having tasted alcohol by the time they reach high school.

Although the legal age was established with good intentions, it is obviously not succeeding in preventing minors from drinking. In reality, it is encouraging them to participate in the activity. For this reason, the law must be reassessed, with ample consideration given to the possibility of changing it.

If at age 18 we can vote for our country’s president and fight in a war, what’s wrong with a beer or two?