United Future

With kids out and about, I think is really hard for parents to enforce. Ultimately I think it comes down to the retailers of alcoholic products to not sell to minors...and to the community at large to not buy on behalf of minors.

As someone who has spent some time working in a liquor store, I feel it's important to point out that while checking someone�s age may seem straight forward - its often not. Some people are offended to be asked, while others produce some dubious photo ID which looks close but could be their sibling or cousin.
The law is heavily against the retailer when the only person in the transaction who always knows the truth is the purchaser.
The penalty for buying alcohol when underage is an infringement fee or a fine of up to $200.
The penalty for staff who sells alcohol to an underage person is a fine of up to $2000 while the on duty manager can receive a fine of up to $10,000.
Since both parites have broken the law - punish them both yes, but are the penaties not a litte unbalanced ?

While there must be responsibility and accountability placed on retailers, surely the law should be tougher on the actual law breakers - the underage people who are knowingly breaking the law by buying the alcohol?

i am a 16yr old and i personily think no one can stpo us. there will always be that way for us to get alcohol. fake ids may not work anymore and only stupid people will beleive them.we all have our ways to get the alcohol from older people that are over 18. also parents cant be in control of us we have to be able to make our own desions at some point. we are at the age where we have to start thinking for ourselfs. some take this the wrong way and get into trouble and we as a natoin cant do anything about it.no ones choose but our own.

Children need to be taught about values. This comes with having rules and responsibilities at home.

The drinking age is too low, youths have demonstrated loudly their inability to consume alcohol responsibly. Increasing the age may not stop some who will continue to flout the law, but it will stop many who only drink because it is legal.

I don't think changing the drinking age will really change anything, except maybe give teens another thing to rebel against, after all where there is a will there is a way.

I believe that it comes down to parents. Although they cant always be there looking over their kids shoulders, they can teach them self control and moderation. An idea that is in teens heads today is that you take whatever you can get. If there is alcohol, no matter what it is or how shockingly it tastes, its going to get consumed.

Teens need to be taught that drinking for the sake of drinking is a waste of time and money. And most importantly, that when they do drink to stay in control and not take it too far.