Canter 1
Kenice Canter
Miss Shaniqua Higgs
Section 18
4/9/2019
This dissertation investigates and describes the effects of underage drinking and problems that
are related. Thus, conveying that the drinking age in the Bahamas should be increased to age 21.
Title: The drinking age should be increased to age 21
In the Bahamas, most citizens enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages. Whether the act is done at a
social gathering or in the comfort of their own home. Bahamians have the privilege of
consuming alcohol anytime and just about anywhere. By law, Bahamians can drink alcohol
beverages from the age of 18. Also, at the age of 18, in the Bahamas the person is of legal age.
Therefore, around this point of life, juveniles are expose to many adult activities and have reach
the age where there is no need of a parent or legal guardian to watch over them. If the Bahamas
were to increase the drinking age it can prevent, Underage drinking which is also associated with
critical injuries, educational failure and risky sexual behavior.
Many who support the drinking age being increased do so because they believe that it
would be beneficial for the country. One who is against may see it to be unnecessary because he
believes at 18, people can vote and are considered adults, so they should decide to make a
personal decision on whether to consume alcohol. Yes, it is fair to grant the teenagers their
freedom, but opposers should realize that most teenagers are curious and love to explore and try
new things. This new sense of freedom can lead to drastic problems affecting not only
themselves but their society.
Canter 2
According to “Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute”, Alcohol is
involved in 1 in 4 crash fatalities among those under the age of 21 in the United States of
America. Impaired driving affects the driver’s judgement, reaction and or awareness. As stated in
the DUI Statistics, reveals the extent of drunk driving and its consequences in the United States.
In 2011, people killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes accounted for nearly one-third (31%)
of all traffic-related deaths. Teens were responsible for approximately 2.4 million episodes of
drinking and driving a month in 2011, and some engaged in the dangerous behavior more than
once a month. Also, Eighty-five percent of teens in high school who reported drinking also
reported binge drinking, meaning that they consumed five or more drinks during a short period
of time.
According to Miss Krystle Rolle, a Bahamian journalist, claimed that in 2010, 44
