Too often, people purchasing wine, beer or liquor are either not asked for their licenses or their young age is overlooked. And most often the people selling alcohol to underage buyers are lower level employees, not the owners of an establishment.
That’s a sign businesses can do more to educate their workers and, if they haven’t already, bring strong consequences for violations.
Aroostook County Sheriff James Madore said he knows of instances when a store employee has looked at the driver’s license of a person younger than 21 and still sold that person alcohol. Other times, cashiers have overridden the store’s system that automatically alerts them when a scanned driver’s license reveals a liquor law violation.
Many store employees are trained, ask for identification, confiscate fake IDs and report underage buyers, but a significant number still don’t make an effort.
Recently 40 percent of establishments checked in Aroostook County failed to follow the drinking-age law. Of 33 places checked for liquor law compliance, 13 were summoned for violations. Inspections last year in March 2011 revealed a similar problem: 23 out of 43 businesses in The County — more than 50 percent — sold alcohol to minors.
While many police officers understandably regret the loss of the Bureau of Liquor Enforcement, which handed over compliance enforcement to sheriff’s offices when it ceased operating in 2003, there’s no sign it’s going to return. Officers will likely continue to rely on grant funding to limit youth access to alcohol, as departments often don’t have budgets large enough to pay police for the additional tasks.
That’s why it’s essential for business owners to show leadership, as allowing a minor under 21 to buy alcohol is not just illegal and a threat to the business’ liquor license, it’s also a safety issue.
Teens face a greater risk of dying in an alcohol-related crash than the general population even though they are below the minimum drinking age, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thirty-one percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers killed in crashes in 2006 had been drinking.
With high school graduation parties nearing, businesses can do everyone a favor and check — and actually pay attention to — customers’ IDs. We suspect store and restaurant owners want their employees to follow the law. They can do better and make sure it happens.
How ironic that BDN would run an editorial touting the importance of ID and drinking age. Where was BDN on the issue of requiring ID to be able to vote. Irony, your name is BDN.
The argument that will be presented to you will be that the ability to vote is a basic right included in our rights as Americans. The ability to drink is a privilege based on age that has been determined by government to be of a mature enough age to consume responsibly. With a basic right, the democrats interpretation of voting is there should be no perceived obstruction causing the act of voting to be the slightest bit inconvenient so all people have the unencumbered ability to vote. Where I find things ironic is we in this country have millions of people that are of legal age to drink and vote, but display minimal maturity to be able to do either with success.
Name one single documented incident of a 18 year old making irresponsible use of their God given right to vote?? You cant.
You missed the point. Has nothing to do with 18 year olds. Point is, many people “of age” regardless of the numerical value have a difficult time managing their behavior around alcohol, as do many people “of age” don’t truly educate themselves on the issues and the candidates, then either don’t go to the polls, or vote a certain way because a candidate appears “cool” to them or they are just following their peer group a certain way, but the decision may not reflect their core values.
Really does not matter what their vote reflects, if they are educated about the candidate, or if they can spell their own name. It is of no concern to others how a person votes. If I want to write Snoopy in for president, that is my Constitutional Right to do so. Elections are popularity contests, like it or not.
Sadly, this is true.
Here we go again with the paranoid right wing delusional foolishness about voter fraud which is EXTREMELY rare to the point of almost NEVER happening. First you DO have to attest to ID when you register to vote, and lying about that is a crime with a serious consequence as is fraudulent voting, a risk that extremely few to NO ONE is going to take. Next, once registered, when you go to vote you are asked your name and address which is verified by the poll worker. You are given your ballot and checked off so you can’t vote twice. Same thing happens if you vote by mail. Tell me, how many people are going to try to go from place to place to multi-vote? It is just an INSANE assertion. It would be a STUPID and NONSENSICAL risk, would most likely have NO impact on an election, and does not pass the straight face test. So enough of trying to suppress voters with your right wing crazy lies about “voter fraud” which essentially does not exist, and which the people of Maine across the spectrum rejected outright last November. That is why the RePUGS didn’t dare to try to push the TeaCrazy right wing Voter SUPPRESSION ID law. They’d have been CRUSHED again and laughed out of the state. It would have been their NIGHTMARE all over again. So save your delusional nonsense about “voter fraud” in Maine. It is a LIE, and you know it. As to checking ID for drinking or buying liquor, that is a TOTALLY different matter. Underage drinking has traditionally been something young people are going to try to do because they want to party with beer or liquor on the weekends, have thrills and excitement, etc. etc. This kind of behavior is an ENTIRELY different personal, cultural, and behavioral dynamic. Trying to compare the two things shows abject ignorance. YOU don’t pass the straight face test.
“Straight face test” LOL. Voter fraud is “OK” when your party does it…?
It happens, and you may not be aware of it, but it still happens.
Teens face a greater risk of dying in the gasoline wars than from drinking alcohol.
It’s not the drinking that is the danger, it’s the behavior that comes with it.
And if people are responsible, knowing their limitations, alcohol wouldn’t be a problem. The legal drinking age WAS 18, and I honestly think it should be brought back down to that level. Why can you vote and smoke at 18, but not drink? What’s the point of that, anyways?
Kids drink and drive and die at a higher rate.
I thought people liked the idea of natural selection?
I don’t want drunk kids naturally selecting me!!
I don’t want any drunks naturally selecting me, but you can’t stop every crime before it even starts. Limiting the drinking age hasn’t done a thing to stop underage drinking, or any alcohol related incident.
I hate how they punish the owner or manager for something a low level employee did. I managed a c-store and really the only thing you can do is make sure they know the law and policies – beyond that, short of watching them every second of their shift you can’t do anything about it.
Leave the owner alone, crack down on the employee who screwed up.
There is something you can do about it: fire the employee who broke the law.
Thats after the fact. Then the store manager/owner has to pay for legal fees, find and hire new help, pay for training and get a black mark on their liquor license. Everyone knows when the cats away he mice will play. The employee should be levies a hefty fine if anyone should get it.
How dumb does someone have to be to think you can fire someone for selling booze before they’ve sold booze?
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Check out this link. The United States is a bit overboard IMO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age
Our 18-20 year olds can give their lives in our wars but can’t legally consume beer or wine. Is it any wonder that the hypocrisy involved invites many to make a sport out of circumventing the drinking law? We should try stressing responsibility instead by allowing them to consume just beer or wine in restaurants and in designated places on campus. If we started treating young adults like grown-ups they might just respond accordingly.
I heard that once before when the drinking age was lowered to 18 and deaths on the highway shot up. It’s a dumb argument. Show the kid can handle driving before handing a kid alcohol.
Kids should not be allowed to vote or drink or even post comments.
Maine law state that ” a person between the ages of 17 and 20 may sell packaged alcohol, provided they have adult supervision at all times”. At all times means continuely, constanly, without interruption
Why is the law written that those not old enough to buy can sell. It might help to change that to everyone selling alcohol be 21.
Wallyworld is a big offender of this. They have many cashiers that fall under this age group and are shown a video on compliance when they are hired, then thrown on a register without supervision by an adult.
Another wasted job at the state level. The inspector goes to a store and gets a kid to go in and try to buy beer or wine. Pretty sad of the state. It must boost there revnue up.
When I look at the photograph of the young woman labelling bottles, I see an illusion (probably created by the glass?) of the face of a Golden Retriever in the pattern of light on her hair. Am I the only one to see this? I swear I haven’t gotten into the coffee brandy…
LOL you are right!!
What another waste of time & resources by the State. Honestly, who cares. How does this merit an editorial? There are a million and one issues that matter & this isn’t one. Very disappointing by the BDN.