House
Bill 0494 would amend the Liquor Control Act to permit restaurants to serve
alcohol to 18, 19, and 20 year olds as long as the underage drinker was “under
the direct supervision and approval of his or her parents or parent or those
persons standing in loco parentis.”
The primary sponsor of the bill is quoted
as saying that if parents “want to
let [their children] have a small glass of wine or a taste of wine, and I don’t
think it’s a concept that a lot of parents would have too much concern with.”
Of course, nothing in the proposed legislation limits the alcohol served to
wine or a small glass of wine. An 18 year old could order a scotch on the rocks
(make that a double), and then another, and maybe one more for the road. Unfortunately,
not all parents, or those standing in the place of parents, have the good sense
presumed by House Bill 0494. And let’s hope that “persons standing in loco
parentis” does not include the 21 year old brother of the 18 year old bellying
up to the restaurant table.
Maybe there is some overriding
need to encourage the use of alcohol by those under 21, but I don’t see it.
