By Kayla Wilfong

Valley Voices Staff Writer

At 18 years old, you're legally an adult. You can light up a smoke, cast a ballot, scratch off a lottery ticket and enlist in the armed forces. But you can't buy a beer.

Before 1984, states could choose their own drinking ages. That year, the federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act requiring states to change their drinking age to 21. If a state did not comply, it would not receive federal funding for road work.

Logan Brown, a senior at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, said he would like the law to change but doesn't see doing so as realistic.

"That's the way (the law) is, that's the way it's been, and it's just easier to keep it that way," he said, adding that he didn't think there would ever be enough support to change the law. "It's not the best choice, but it is the easiest."

Based on an ABC News poll conducted in 2005, the public supports the current drinking age. The telephone survey showed that about 78 percent of 1,000 polled -- including 73 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds -- supported keeping the drinking age at 21.

One reason for keeping the status quo is statistics for teenage drunk driving.

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, 600 teenagers in 2008 were involved in an alcohol-related collision, 15 percent of which were fatal.

Harrison Given, who graduated from Ooltewah High School this year, said he believes these crashes incite fear in adults.

"It only takes one incident with alcohol to ruin a person's life," Mr. Given said. The drinking age "echoes a cultural paradigm revolving around concerned parents still cradling their 'widdle' babies until they're college graduates, the average age of which is 21."

Some people may believe the illegality of alcohol is a temptation to teens and is responsible for teen drinking, but Harrison said he believes the temptation stems from the lack of serious consequences.

"I disagree with many of the laws because I think the penalties for reckless behavior involving alcohol are not strict enough to make any sort of change," he said.

Because teens are known for "reckless" behavior, maturity is a huge factor blocking the change of the drinking age law, teens said.

Erin Mangrum, who graduated from Bradley High School in 2008, said the drinking age should stay right where it is, even if some teens are capable of drinking responsibly.

"I think most 16-year-olds are too irresponsible to be operating a vehicle, much like some 18-year-olds are too irresponsible to buy and consume alcohol and carry guns," he said. "Some are at the maturity level at 18 to do these things responsibly, but they lose out on those privileges because the majority is significantly lacking overall."

Kayla Wilfong is a student at Middle College High School.