Being a child of the Internet, one thing I learned early on was to never be surprised by what you can buy on the Internet. From exotic animals to prescription drugs to "escorts," everything is basically at your fingertips.
Except booze. Kansas is one of 21 states that doesn't allow you to purchase alcohol over the Internet and, much to wineries' chagrin, it doesn't allow Kansas wineries to ship to other states either. In states like Missouri where it is legal, there are still many hoops to jump through: You must be present for the delivery, show the delivery person your identification, etc.. The work is not worth the effort to underage drinkers who can test a fake ID in several different liquor stores with much less effort.
The two types of people who don't understand this -- academics and bureaucrats -- are the two same groups that are sponsoring a $400,000 study to see just how easy it is for minors to buy alcohol over the Internet. The study is sponsored by the University of North Carolina and prosecutors have given immunity to the underage students who participate.
The survey is flawed.
For one, it's being conducted over a three-year-period. The Internet
changes so fast that whatever data the study finds in the first year
will probably be useless by the third year.
Second, the premise of the study is that
"at some sites, a mouse click asserting that a buyer is 21 appears
to be the only proof a minor needs to buy liquor, wine or beer." That
is simply untrue. Often, a mouse click is all you need to enter a
liquor site but every site has to follow federal rules for shipping
alcohol. Rules like: Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older,
and if you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed
to receive it. In addition, each state has its own laws
that can often be near impossible to decipher. A popular blog
called ShipCompliant exists for the sole purpose of trying to demystify wine shopping.
Third, the researchers are theorizing that it's easy to obtain
alcohol online based on their previous study on minors
obtaining cigarettes online. Tobacco was and is still easy to
buy online (I buy cigars online and have never had anyone ask for ID) but tobacco and alcohol are two different animals.
I thought about buying booze online a couple times when I was underage
but never did due to one simple fact: When you get denied from a liquor
store, all that's hurt is your pride. You still have your money. When
you get denied by a UPS driver, you've already payed for that liquor.
Most underage kids don't have $400,000 to test which Internet sites are
the best. They save their money for something with a return -- like a
fake id. Now there's something a minor can get easily online.
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