Four Things To Note About The Crime Of Supplying Alcohol To Minors

As you know, it is an offense to sell or supply alcohol to a minor. However, there are a few things you may not know about the criminal charges this offense may attract. Here are four examples:

There Are A Few Exceptions to the Rule

Although minors aren't generally allowed to take alcohol, there are a few exceptions to the rule. For example, some states allow underage drinking under these circumstances:

• With parental consent as long as the parent is present when the minor takes the alcohol.
• In culinary school, if it is part of the education.
• If the minor takes the alcohol as medicine.
• As part of a religious ceremony.

A Fake Id May Get You Off the Hook

In some states, if you are charged with supplying alcohol to a minor, you can get off the hook if you can prove that the minor had an ID that you did not know was faked. However, some states only allow this defense if you took the necessary steps to authenticate the ID. For example, you may be required to use a scanner to confirm the ID's authenticity make the buyer fill a declaration of age form.

The Term "Minor" Here Is a Misnomer

Technically, the term minor refers to a person under the age of majority, which is usually 18, but the legal age for drinking is 21. Therefore, supplying alcohol to a 20-year-old person is considered illegal even though the person isn't technically a minor. Don't be confused with the terms. Whether it is called supplying alcohol to a minor or an underage person, you can still be charged and convicted of the offense. 

Supply to Persons Under the Age of 18 Attract Harsher Charges

Serving alcohol to a person under the age of 18 may attract more serious charges than serving alcohol to a person over that age even though both actions are illegal. Therefore, supplying alcohol to a person under the age of 18 may attract higher monetary fines and longer jail sentences than doing the same thing to other underage persons.

As you can tell, laws regulating sales of alcohol to minors aren't as straightforward as you may think. The seriousness of your charges will depend on many different issues including your relation to the person, their age, as well as the activity you were engaged in at the time. This means it's easy to make an assumption that may complicate your defense.  Therefore, your best course of action is to consult a criminal defense attorney to help you with the defense. Contact a firm like Rosselli & Abramovitz, LLC for more information.