Underage drinking has been a national issue even prior to 1976 and much of it is due to the rising statistics caused by the harms and dangers that it brings about. Since then, the government had moved to curtail underage drinking and had done so by implementing the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The direct effect of the regulation against underage drinking to the society is commendable.
Lesser accidents on the roads are observed, including injuries and deaths arising from high school and college drinking sprees in bars and parties. It is the businesses that received the bitter pill, the minimum age law had cost them several millions of dollars in lost revenue, not to mention additional liabilities. But because the alcohol industry is such a powerful force in the market, they were able to withstand the pressures and challenges caused by the issues surrounding underage drinking.
Soon enough it doesn’t continue to matter whether the law is enacted or not as underage drinking regained its place in the alcohol industry millions as an income generator in the form of billions of dollars generated in revenues alone, as proven by the net sales gained in 2000. This only shows that although laws and policies could cripple a business, it is just a matter of implementing the right strategies to regain marketing advantage. However the ill effects of underage drinking remains.
The possibility of young people losing lives unnecessarily due to binge drinking remains for as long as alcohol-related companies continue to market and actually sell liquors to minors. While the underage drinkers are a good source of annual income, alcohol-related businesses do have responsibilities to assume towards the society and their direct consumers as well. Recommendations Based on the conclusions presented above, the following actions are recommended: 1.
To answer the loss coming from the decrease in number of underage drinkers, businesses should try to focus more on selling to full-pledged adults instead. Adults aged 21 years old and above are actually better equipped to buy their products because they belong to the working class after all. Youngsters do not have the same capability to buy beers and alcoholic beverages as much as adult does. 2. The government must find a way to resolve the conflict created by imposing bans on underage drinking and protecting the interests of small-scale businesses that deals with the retail of alcoholic beverages.
An enduring rewards program should be implemented to honor stores, and even clerks, who refuse to sell liquor to anybody below 21 years of age. The monetary proceeds from these programs would allow businesses to cover the revenue lost when they refuse beverage sale to youths. 3. Underage drinkers should start following the law. While the alcohol industry is keen on bringing them back on the market, they should be able to resist the pressures both from peers and from ads that entice them to try and eventually be habitual binge drinkers.
The laws and policies regarding underage drinking are not created for the benefit of the government but for the youth instead. Unless young adults start to understand the ill effects of underage drinking, the horrors associated with it will always haunt the society. Furthermore, informative campaigns and training programs should be put in place, preferably sponsored by non-profit organizations, schools, and even businesses, to ensure that the youth are kept on the right track.