Penalty should be stiff for underage beer sales
One local merchant recently talked to the Southern Standard and complained that the 90-day license suspension his store received for selling beer to a minor was too harsh.
The merchant said he has experienced a substantial drop in his business since beer sales can also lead to cigarette sales, food sales and gas sales. The merchant said he is also stuck with thousands of dollars worth of beer he can’t return to the distributor and can’t sell to the public.
Maybe it will be a lesson learned.
Local prosecutors have adopted a get-tough stance when it comes to selling beer to minors, and rightfully so. The laws of this state indicate it’s illegal to sell alcohol to people under 21. Local stores should be made to abide by the law.
The problem often lies in enforcement. Since there’s money to be made with beer sales, it’s tempting to look the other way when cash is on the counter. That’s especially true if the chance of getting caught is slim and the punishment not severe.
That’s where the 90-day beer license suspension kicks in. It delivers a resounding message that underage beer sales will not be tolerated. It’s one message which gets its point across.
The pocket change a store owner might make from selling one 12 pack to an underage customer pales in comparison to the thousands that will be lost without beer sales for three months. That’s reason enough for store owners not to sell to minors and to continually hammer home the same message to their employees.
The ultimate goal is to follow state law and not allow people under 21 to buy liquor or beer. This, in turn, will make Tennessee roads safer because drinking and driving – especially with young drivers – does not mix.
The encouraging sign is statistics indicate tougher laws and tighter enforcement are helping to make progress in the battle to reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths. The group Young Adults Educating Responsible Drinking reports alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities for people under 21 have declined by 56 percent over the last 20 years.
That figure coincides with raising the drinking age to 21 throughout the country. In 1984, 23 states had a minimum drinking age of 21 when federal legislation was enacted to withhold highway funds from the remaining 27 states if they did not follow suit. Since 1988, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have required people to be 21 to buy alcohol.
For a nation tired of seeing its bright, young adults killed on roadways, raising the drinking age was an appropriate move. But the law loses its bite when underage drinkers can easily purchase alcohol from local stores.
A 90-day beer license suspension will make merchants think a little bit longer about following the law. Merchants who don’t sell beer to minors don’t have to worry about the penalty.