Study: Minors Buying Booze Online
In an attempt to fight the loosening of liquor control laws regarding online sales in nearly two dozen states over the past year, a liquor resellers interest group released a study Thursday that says an alarming number of minors are purchasing alcohol online or know someone who has.
The study, sponsored by the Wine and Spirits Wholsalers of America, claims that two percent of teens aged 14-20 have purchased alcohol online, and 12 percent say they know of a friend who has. One in ten of them have visited a Web site that sells alcohol, and a third of those surveyed are open to the possibility of purchasing alcohol online before their 21st birthday.
Making matters worse, the group says, is the fact that many of these companies require no ID check upon delivery, and other states are moving to enact similar laws with little if any oversight. The WSWA adds that most regulatory agencies have told them that resources are not available to ensure online compliance with liquor laws.
"This is a dangerous situation," WSWA Chairman Stan Hastings said. "For the first time, we have hard evidence that millions of kids are buying alcohol online and that the Internet is fast becoming a high-tech, low-risk way for kids to get beer, wine and liquor delivered to their home."
WSWA's members have a vested financial interest in the situation. As laws are relaxed regarding online alcohol sales, more and more consumers are turning to the Internet to make their purchases. In many cases, it is cheaper to purchase alcohol online, which negates the need to visit the local liquor store.
In a television report Wednesday night, NBC News backed up the industry's claims. Two packages were delivered to states where online liquor sales are illegal, with one delivered to a 15-year old with no ID check. Only one of the packages asked the delivery person to check the ID of the recipient and identified the contents as alcohol.
"Alcohol should not be sold online and state regulators need more resources to be able to enforce their state's alcohol laws, and that includes regular online compliance checks," WSWA CEO Juanita Duggan remarked.
The group is also accusing states of hypocrisy over the inconsistency between online tobacco and alcohol laws. A group of 33 state attorneys general, delivery services and credit card companies led by Eliot Spitzer recently led a successful effort to ban the online sale of cigarettes.