[CH] US Alcohol policy
mstevens@exit109.com
Wed, 6 Jun 2001 17:28:41 GMT
At 08:00 AM 6/6/01 +0200, T wrote:
>> It's not always that easy; restaurants and bars that serve alcohol are
>> frequently the target of 'sting' enforcement by decoys, and the servers
>> of alcohol may have a *responsibility* to report such
>
>Don't police in the US have more important things to do, especially when in
>most of the world even 18 year olds can buy alcohol?
>
>Here in CH it's 16 (18 for hard liquor), and not enforced.
There's a separate country for Chile Heads?
>Until recently,
>most people here didn't even know that there was a minimum age.
>
It's a political football here. A largely prudish population demands that it's
elected officials and law enforcement be resolute on maintaining the "War" on
the use of alcohol by minors. Anyone in public service that does not toe the
party line on this is considered not to have the best interest of the children
in mind. They refuse to let their opinions be clouded by inconvenient facts
and feel that not allowing people under 21 enjoy a sip of beer or wine in a
social setting will somehow prevent them from succumbing to alcoholism. As a
result alcohol becomes a "forbidden Fruit" and gives those who indulge in it
underage that slight thrill of rebellion.
The fact that so much of the world includes alcohol in a family/social setting
with no age barriers and suffer much less substance abuse seems to make no
impression. The irony that folks who can drive, vote and join the Armed Forces
and die for the country is often cited, but as was said, no public official
would commit political suicide by questioning the status quo.
=Mark "Runs With Scissors" Stevens
@ http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens @
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Dyslexic Agnostic Insomniac...
Lying awake at night, wondering if there is a dog.