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Table of Contents
POLICY #1..........................................................pg 1 POLICY #13.....................................................pg 13
Underage Possession, Retailer Interstate Shipment
Consumption, and Internal Possession
POLICY #14....................................................pg 14
POLICY #2........................................................pg 2 Increasing Alcohol Tax Rates
Underage Purchase and
Attempted Purchase
POLICY #15.....................................................pg 15
Penalty Guidelines for
POLICY #3........................................................pg 3 Sales/Services o Minors
Furnishing Alcohol to Minors
POLICY #16.....................................................pg 16
POLICY #4.......................................................pg 4 Minimum Age for
Hosting Underage Drinking On-Premises Server
Parties
POLICY #17.....................................................pg 17
POLICY #5........................................................pg 5 Minimum Age for
Social Host Liability Off-Premises Server
POLICY #6........................................................pg 6 POLICY #18.....................................................pg 18
Youth Blood Alcohol Dram Shop Liability
Concentration Limits
POLICY #19.....................................................pg 19
POLICY #7........................................................pg 7 Mandatory/Voluntary
Loss of Driving Privileges for Alcohol Server-Seller Training (RBS)
Violations by Minors (“Use/Lose” Laws)
POLICY #20...................................................pg 20
POLICY #8........................................................pg 8 Restrictions on Drink Specials
False Identification (“False ID”)
POLICY #21.....................................................pg 21
POLICY #9........................................................pg 9 Wholesaler Pricing Provisions
Graduated Driver’s Licenses
POLICY #22....................................................pg 22
POLICY #10....................................................pg 10 Keg Registration
Compliance Check Protocols
POLICY #23....................................................pg 23
POLICY #11.......................................................pg 11 High-Proof Grain Alcoholic
Home Delivery Beverages
POLICY #12.....................................................pg 12 POLICY #24...................................................pg 24
Direct Sales/Shipments from Distance Limitations Applied to
Producers New Alcohol Outlets
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POLICY #1:
Underage Possession, Consumption, and Internal Possession
After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the 21st typically require evidence of alcohol in the minor’s
Amendment allowed each state to set its own alcohol body, but do not require any specific evidence of
consumption laws. possession or consumption.
At that time, most states chose to set a minimum legal
drinking age (MLDA) at 21 years of age. However, Did you know that…
when the U.S. lowered the legal voting age from 21 to
18 in 1971, more than half of the states also lowered • Although a variety of laws limit youth
their MLDA to 18, 19, or 20 years of age. access to alcohol, 14 states have no laws
that prohibit people under the age of 21
It was not until the National Minimum Drinking Age from consuming alcohol?
Act of 1984 that states were required to raise their
MLDA to 21 or risk losing federal highway funds.
• 16 states allow people under the age
of 21 to possess alcohol when a family
As a result, many people assume that it is illegal for a
member consents or is present?
person under the age of 21 to consume or possess any
alcohol in the U.S.
• 10 states allow people under the age of
21 to possess alcohol when on private
Additionally, in recent years, many states have enacted
property?
laws prohibiting “internal possession” of alcohol
by persons under the age of 21. These provisions
To learn more about what your state prohibits and how it compares to other
states and to national best practices regarding the Underage Possession,
https://go.usa.gov/xsyZ5
Consumption, and Internal Possession policy, check out the resources at the
following shortened link or scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.
https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/ Learn the Law Series 2021 I 1
<("&=%’"$#."%2>&?@@$/-%#’-%.&?@AA-’’""&@%&’("&+$","%’-@%&@B&3%/"$#."&4$-%5-%.&
POLICY #2:
Underage Purchase and Attempted Purchase
Although most states prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing alcohol, did you know that
4 states do not prohibit it? Additionally, although law enforcement routinely conducts checks on merchant
compliance or stings to identify merchants who illegally sell alcoholic beverages to minors, only 24 states are
allowed to actually use people under the age of 21 in those operations.
To learn more about what your state prohibits and how it compares to other
states and to national best practices regarding the Underage Purchase
https://go.usa.gov/xsyZV
and Attempted Purchase policy, check out the resources at the following
shortened link or scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.
2 | Learn the Law Series 2021 https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/
<("&=%’"$#."%2>&?@@$/-%#’-%.&?@AA-’’""&@%&’("&+$","%’-@%&@B&3%/"$#."&4$-%5-%.&
POLICY #3:
Furnishing Alcohol to Minors
Even though all states prohibit furnishing alcohol to minors, most minors obtain alcohol from adults – including
parents, older siblings, peers, or strangers solicited to purchase alcohol for the minor. As such, adult furnishing
of alcohol plays a significant role in making alcohol more available to youth.
Illegal furnishing of alcohol is a serious persistent problem that is best addressed by increased enforcement of
the law. However, due to exceptions in some state furnishing laws, adults can legally provide alcohol to minors
under certain circumstances in some states.
Exceptions fall into two categories:
1. “Family Exceptions” which permit minors’ parents, guardians, or spouses to furnish them with alcohol.
2. “Location Exceptions” which permit minors’ parents, guardians, or spouses to furnish them with alcohol but
only in specified locations (for example, the parents’ homes or another private residence).
Did you know that…
• 19 states have family exceptions to their laws prohibiting the furnishing of alcohol to minors?
• 12 states have location exceptions to their laws prohibiting the furnishing of alcohol to minors?
To learn more about what your state prohibits and how it compares to other
states and to national best practices regarding the Furnishing Alcohol to
https://go.usa.gov/xsyZp
Minors policy, check out the resources at the following shortened link or scan
the QR code with your smartphone camera.
https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/ Learn the Law Series 2021 I 3
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POLICY #4:
Hosting Underage Drinking Parties
Underage drinking parties pose significant public health risks. They are high-risk settings for binge drinking
and associated alcohol problems, including impaired driving. Youth and young adults are often introduced to
heavy drinking behaviors at these events by older adults. Such parties often occur on private property, with or
without the knowledge or presence of a parent or other responsible adult. State host party laws seek to make
underage drinking parties less likely by imposing liability on adult hosts who host or allow the parties.
Liability generally occurs through criminal proceedings that can lead to sanctions such as fines or imprisonment.
These laws apply even if the adult cannot be shown to have furnished the alcohol for the party. Some state host
party laws explicitly address underage drinking parties and others are broader in scope and prohibit individuals
from allowing underage drinking on their properties generally.
Did you know that…
• Only 31 states have host party laws?
• In 23 of those 31 states, laws require that the host knew about the party to trigger liability?
To learn more about what your state prohibits and how it compares to
other states and to national best practices regarding the Hosting Underage
https://go.usa.gov/xsyZv
Drinking Parties policy, check out the resources at the following shortened
link or scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.
4 | Learn the Law Series 2021 https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/
