Underage Drinking (H 7478)

A liquor store owner who sells alcohol to a minor faces a $250 fine for a first offense. However, a major push is being made to amend the state’s “social host” law to subject teenagers under 21 to a six-month prison sentence if they give alcohol to someone else also under the age of 21. The ACLU argued strenuously against the inequity of these bills. Although they are purportedly designed to address underage “alcohol parties,” the Affiliate noted that there are already a number of offenses that teens can be charged with in those instances. Seeking to impose the same punishment on them as on a 30-year-old who knowingly purchases alcohol at a store to give to a minor is, the ACLU argued, grossly unfair. The fate of the legislation remains uncertain. Read our testimony.