Drinking in california

[Lucille1963]

I believe that you could have a drink in Wisconsin or Texas in a bar if you are with your parents. Unfortunately, neither of those states are near California.

[Danibelle]

Originally Posted by Lucille1963

I believe that you could have a drink in Wisconsin or Texas in a bar if you are with your parents. Unfortunately, neither of those states are near California.

No drinking in the US under the age of 21 has been the law since 1984. Some states do let minors drink at home but I don't think California is one of those.

[k3chantal]

Originally Posted by chelseyleigh

Hi Guys
I was wondering if someone could clear up the drinking laws for me, i will be 20 when we go and when trying to look up the laws all its saying is drinking is prohibited with exceptions? what are those exceptions? will i be able to drink with my parents? is it only for certain drinks? id love to be able to enjoy a cocktail with dinner and my parents but will that be possible?
thanks a lot!!

You must be 21 one to consume alcohol in California. And, if you order a drink you most likely will be carded. No exceptions that I can think of and I have lived in California all my life.

[Minuet888]

Originally Posted by Lucille1963

I believe that you could have a drink in Wisconsin or Texas in a bar if you are with your parents. Unfortunately, neither of those states are near California.

uh no, the 21 drinking age is not a state law it is a federal law and is the same for all 50 states in the US!!

[Lucille1963]

I'm not terribly familiar with Texas, but I am near Wisconsin.....

Originally Posted by Danibelle

No drinking in the US under the age of 21 has been the law since 1984. Some states do let minors drink at home but I don't think California is one of those.

Drinking age didn't change to 21 in Wisconsin until 1986, but didn't have a truly uniform age until 88. http://onmilwaukee.com/bars/articles...html?viewall=1

Originally Posted by Minuet888

uh no, the 21 drinking age is not a state law it is a federal law and is the same for all 50 states in the US!!

A quote and a link from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue website:
Can children be in a bar with their parents?
Yes. Persons under age 21 may be on licensed premises, and can be sold and allowed to drink alcohol beverages, if they are with their parents, guardians, or spouses, as long as those persons are of legal drinking age; but this is at the discretion of the licensee.

http://www.dor.state.wi.us/faqs/ise/atundrg.html#undrg2

[Lucille1963]

Here is the link to the Texas law on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission site, Sec. 106.04(b) http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/laws/alc...ing_minors.asp

[suzannen]

Originally Posted by Minuet888

uh no, the 21 drinking age is not a state law it is a federal law and is the same for all 50 states in the US!!

That's actually a misconception - there are 40 States that Allow Underage Consumption under circumstances. I know NY is one of 11 states that a bar or restaurant is allowed to serve a minor if the guardian is present; waiters always ask my DH & I if they should put down a wine or champagne glass for our 18 year old. (And, she can legally drink almost every where else in the world).

Here is a breakdown by state.
http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.r...rceID=002591#H

[BlueBayou]

Originally Posted by Danibelle

No drinking in the US under the age of 21 has been the law since 1984. Some states do let minors drink at home but I don't think California is one of those.

Not sure what Texas law is now - (I was in HS when it changed to 21). But you could legally drink at a restaurant/bar (we lived in a county where you and to be a member of the restaurant's "club" in order to purchase an adult beverage) in the late 80s if your parent handed you the drink.

One time when we were in our small town mexican food restaurant I tried to order a margarita when I was over 21 but did not have an ID with me (and I looked extremely young for my age). The server asked if they were my parents - and they said yes. The waitress said that they had to order the drink and hand it to me. I asked my mom, who volunteered at the police department, about the strange law and she explained it. I guess it was routed in personal freedom - as a parent you have the right to determine what is right for your kids.

But this never applied to supplying alcohol to anyone other than your own children (Parents still very legally responsible for supplying booze for HS keg parties etc).

But like I said this was in the mid-to-late 80s and Texas may no longer allow parent to had drinks to their kids.

[StageTek]

Originally Posted by Lucille1963

Persons under age 21 may be on licensed premises, and can be sold and allowed to drink alcohol beverages, if they are with their parents, guardians, or spouses, as long as those persons are of legal drinking age; but this is at the discretion of the licensee.

That's fascinating. So legally a parent could bring their 10 year old to a bar in Wisconsin and buy her a beer. A sports team of 12 to 14 year olds could head to a bar after a game as long as each child had their parent there in the bar with them.

[Lucille1963]

Originally Posted by StageTek

That's fascinating. So legally a parent could bring their 10 year old to a bar in Wisconsin and buy her a beer. A sports team of 12 to 14 year olds could head to a bar after a game as long as each child had their parent there in the bar with them.

You can read the text at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue site that I quoted above. It also allows the holder of the liquor license to serve the accompanied minor at their discretion. So I highly doubt either of your scenarios would happen.

[StageTek]

Originally Posted by Lucille1963

You can read the text at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue site that I quoted above. It also allows the holder of the liquor license to serve the accompanied minor at their discretion. So I highly doubt either of your scenarios would happen.

I did read the text. Thanks you for the link - it was very interesting.

I understand that either scenario is unlikely to happen - what I found interesting is that legally a parent could buy a ten year old a beer in a bar. And that legally a group of parents could take their Little League team to a bar for beers after a game. It's interesting to me that in Wisconsin there is legally no "drinking age" - only the age when a person can legally buy a drink without a parent being present. That's different than where I live and I found it interesting.

And in NYC an adult cannot buy a 32 ounce soda....

[bcla]

Originally Posted by Minuet888

uh no, the 21 drinking age is not a state law it is a federal law and is the same for all 50 states in the US!!

Drinking age is established by state law. However, there is a federal law that will penalize a state with 10% loss of federal highway funding if they don't have a drinking age of at least 21. The last state to raise the age to 21 did so in 1988. A few territories still have it at 18 even though it means a loss of federal highway funding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...inking_Age_Act

http://epw.senate.gov/title23.pdf

§ 158. National minimum drinking age
(a) WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall withhold 10 per centum
of the amount required to be apportioned to any State
under each of sections 104(b)(1), 104(b)(3), and 104(b)(4) of this
title on the first day of each fiscal year after the second fiscal
year beginning after September 30, 1985, in which the purchase
or public possession in such State of any alcoholic beverage
by a person who is less than twenty-one years of age is
lawful.

[Lucille1963]

Originally Posted by StageTek

I did read the text. Thanks you for the link - it was very interesting.

I understand that either scenario is unlikely to happen - what I found interesting is that legally a parent could buy a ten year old a beer in a bar. And that legally a group of parents could take their Little League team to a bar for beers after a game. It's interesting to me that in Wisconsin there is legally no "drinking age" - only the age when a person can legally buy a drink without a parent being present. That's different than where I live and I found it interesting.

And in NYC an adult cannot buy a 32 ounce soda....

My very limited real life experience comes from working at a place not far from Wisconsin, where Wisconsin people liked to frequent. Every so often, a parent would try to order a drink or give a drink to their "child", not realizing that the laws in Illinois were so different. FWIW, it was never anyone near the age of 10, it was more like their "child" who was a legal adult, old enough to vote, fight in a war, etc. It is an unusual law, but it does kind of make sense.
I can only recall one parent who got a little ticked at me, to whom I calmly explained not only the fines to the business, but to me personally on top of losing my job.

[caffingdu]

It is a little ridiculous that you can get your hands on deadly assault rifles in this country so easily, but you can't have a drink, no matter how low the alcohol content and with very little exceptions, until you're 21. But, that's the law in this country...

By the way, when the law talks about small exceptions, they means things like religious reasons. For example, I believe that it's perfectly legal for a minor to have a sip of wine at church as part of communion ceremonies... But in general, it is illegal for you to drink in public, or even in private, until you're 21.