Underage drinking in America
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Underage drinking in America is a prevalent issue that occurs in most young American adults' lives.
Although the minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21 in all states, the legal details vary greatly. While only a few states completely ban alcohol usage for people under 21 [1], the majority have exceptions that permit consumption on private property and/or in the presence of a parent. Some states and towns do not allow those under the legal drinking age to be present in liquor stores or in bars, though most permit it. Most states also ban underage people from having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .02% in public, meaning that underage persons who drink legally in a private residence break the law if they step onto public property.[2]
While most underage drinking occurs on private property, some occurs in public establishments such as bars or restaurants. Underage people are still frequently served alcohol in places that do ask for proof of age due to the high number of fake ID's [3].
When drinking occurs in private establishments, the alcohol is usually obtained by a person who is over 21, though a few liquor and convenience stores sell to underage people. While this occurs occasionally, programs such as Cops in shops and strict fines make it more appealing to store owners to check a person's age.
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[edit] Methods
Underage persons commonly obtain alcoholic beverages through the use of a false or altered identification card (Fake Identification), through asking older persons to purchase it for them (Shoulder tap), and from friends, siblings or parents [4].
[edit] False identification
It is against the law in all states to purchase alcohol with the use of a false or altered fake identification (ID) card. Punishments can range from having the ID taken away to hefty fines, losing driving privileges, or jail sentences.[citation needed]
A fake ID is usually a copy or an altered version of a government-issued photo identification (almost always a driver's license). While it is legal to make fake ID's and store them on private property,[citation needed] it is a felony in all 50 states to sell false government identification.[citation needed] Nonetheless, a fake ID is extremely easy to obtain or create. While many underage people get a duplicate ID from a person who is over 21 and looks similar, most people buy or create their fake ID's. A fake photo ID can be as inexpensive as $20 for a non-holographic and poorly made copy to nearly $150 for a copy that can not be distinguished from a real ID without the use of laboratory equipment.[citation needed] Using modern-day graphic editing software, printers, and scanners, a relatively high quality fake IDs are often made. [5].
Over the years states have made ID's very difficult to create or alter. Before the 21-year drinking age was set in 1984, multiple states still issued non-photo ID's. Today, all U.S. States and territories have photo I.D.'s with holograms and most have either a scannable barcode or magnetic strip that can show the name, age, and ID number of the licensee. However, many fake ID's have these features as well.
Many licensed beverage estalishments have trained doormen, bartenders or special electronic scanners that can detect many fake IDs. A few states or bar owners give doormen or bartenders a monetary reward for every fake ID confiscated from an underage drinker.
[edit] Border crossing
Underage persons in the US who live in areas that border Canada and Mexico, both of which have lower drinking ages, sometimes cross the border in order to obtain alcoholic beverages. They may consume it there or upon return home.
In Canada, underage people sometimes cross provincial borders into provinces with a lower drinking age to obtain alcohol, as Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec all have drinking ages of 18, while the rest are 19.
Before the federal government enacted the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, those who lived in states that set the drinking age at 21 would simply cross state lines into a state with a lower drinking age.
[edit] Homemade alcohol
Homemade alcoholic beverages are produced in unknown quantities. However, illegally produced distilled beverages often contain dangerous by-products.[6]
[edit] Shoulder tap
Shoulder tapping usually occurs with people who are well below age 21. The underage person asks an older person to purchase the alcohol on their behalf. The person initiating the "shoulder tap" can be arrested for loitering and the adult purchasing the alcohol can be arrested for illegally supplying alcohol to a minor. This is also commonly referred to as the "hey mister."
[edit] Enforcement
Police are usually moderately tolerant of underage drinking provided that the drinkers are not in violation of other crimes while drinking. Police are even more tolerant if the drinking occurs indoors on private property.
[edit] Proponents of the law
Proponents usually argue many lives may have been saved because youth are less likely to drink and drive. This is obviously very difficult to prove.
[edit] Critics of the law
Critics usually argue that because it's illegal, underage drinking has largely gone "underground" where it cannot easily be monitored and controlled. Another argument against the 21 drinking age is that if people are old enough to vote and go to war at age 18, they should be old enough to drink at age 18.
It should also be noted that countries with a lower Drinking Age tend to have lower rates of underage drinking, drunk driving, and other alcohol related incidents. [citation needed]
[edit] The future of underage drinking
Although nearly 2/3 of the population over 21 reports supporting the current 21-year drinking age and very little organized opposition to it exists, statistics show that most underage people drink at some time; only about 20% completely abstain from drinking until they turn 21. In America the average age for a boy to start drinking is 11 while girls average stands at 13. Supporters of the high drinking age say that even if the drinking age were lowered to 18, as it is in the United Kingdom and a large percentage of the rest of the world, it is possible that underage drinking would occur at similar levels, only with the demographics lowered [7].
While some Americans are in favor of a lower drinking age, the likelihood of it being lowered appears to be low. Any state that lowered the drinking age would lose 10% of its federal highway funding since. This could range from a $6-150 million loss for a state.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Shoulder Tap Program
- http://www.youthrights.org/ National Youth Rights Association]
