Underage Drinking Penalties

The U.S. national and state officials have been struggling to reduce the incidence of underage drinking in the country. In their efforts, several major laws have been legislated and implemented. Each year underage drinking penalties are continually being modified to respond to the ever growing numbers of minors who become involved with underage drinking. And as teens become more creative and manipulative in acquiring alcoholic beverages, these laws are made more encompassing and more stringent as the years pass.

As cited in a factsheet released by Governor Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Underage Drinking Prevention Committee, penalties for underage drinking may be classified in two groups. One group are penalties for the minors who violate the laws and a second group for adults who are of  legal drinking age and promote alcohol consumption among adolescents.

Underage Drinking Penalties for minors:

1. 1. Purchase and possession of any alcoholic beverage - Violators will have to pay for fines, attend alcohol awareness classes and undergo several hours of community service
2. A minor requesting another person to buy, sell or give him or her alcohol – A class 3 misdemeanor, which means it is punishable by a fine and/or less than 30 days of imprisonment [1]
3. Driving with traces of alcohol in the system - license suspension for three months, pay a fine or possibly confiscation of the car involved [2]
4. Driving with alcohol in the system along with a passenger under 16 – license suspension for 6 months and/or paying for a heftier fine
5. Using a fake ID to purchase alcohol or giving a law enforcement officer a fake name – Categorized as a misdemeanor, fines may reach up to $1000 and/or 90-day imprisonment [3]

Penalties for adults promoting underage drinking:

1. Purchasing, providing or pouring alcohol for a minor – maximum of $ 2500 fine, 80% surcharge and serving up to 60 days in jail, local forfeitures and fees may be assessed as well.[4]
2. Hosting a party that allows teenagers to drink alcohol ­– under the Social Host Ordinance, host may be fined $1000 for the first conviction and up to $2000 for the second conviction.
3. Adults or parents who purposely misrepresent a minor’s age to allow them to drink before the minimum legal drinking age – A class 1 misdemeanor, driver’s license may be suspended for 30 days on the first offense, and 6 months in the second.[5]

The lengths of time served as well as the amount of fines that are paid by the violators vary in every state. Some states may implement more stern penalties than others. Nonetheless, these underage drinking penalties must not be taken lightly.