FILE PHOTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat A Tucson police officer writes a citation for underage drinking Sept. 2, 2003, at the Jefferson at Star Ranch apartment complex. A proposed bill in the state Legislature would stiffen the penalty for those who knowingly purchase alcohol for minors.

Legislation would suspend licenses of those convicted of giving alcohol to minors

PHOENIX – Though it is already a crime to knowingly buy alcohol for someone underage, a bill at the state Legislature would increase the penalty to include license suspension.

As of now, a conviction for buying alcohol for an underage person is a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of up to $2,500 and six months in jail. The bill would add that the person's license also be suspended for six months.

Rep. Michelle Reagan, R-Scottsdale, said yesterday alcohol provided to underage drinkers by someone of legal drinking age is the "No. 1 source of underage drinking."

Reagan said the bill would be a cost-effective way to enforce the law because studies show that more people fear losing their license than going to jail, so it would be more effective than current law.

There has been a shift from underage drinkers illegally purchasing alcohol themselves, to having someone of age purchase it for them, said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio said even though there has been a steep effort to keep underage people from buying alcohol, there now needs to be steeper penalties for those who legally buy alcohol, but illegally give it to someone underage.

The bill would exclude parents or guardians who give their child alcohol in their home and alcohol used for religious purposes. However, if an adult gives alcohol to their child and his friend, they would be committing a crime, Reagan said.

Arizona is above the national average for underage alcohol consumption, said Jessica Smith, of the Arizona chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions.

"At what point do we say enough is enough?" Smith said. "Underage drinking is not a rite of passage."

Emily West, a business sophomore, said minors can obtain alcohol easily, with or without the help of people over the age of 21.

"There's always a way to get alcohol," she said.

West said people should not be buying alcohol for minors but a suspended license seems "a little severe."

Attorney General Terry Goddard said this bill would be a "simple, I would say even elegant, solution."

He said knowing the consequence of a crime is a big part of preventing it. Goddard said police departments regularly get tips about large parties and the bill would help them find the source and hopefully minimize those instances of underage binge drinking.

Goddard said the bill would also give courts more discretion in prosecuting this particular crime.

South Dakota and South Carolina already have similar laws, Reagan said.

Diageo, the largest manufacturer of spirits in the world, supports this bill and is committed to stopping underage drinking, said Gary Galanis, vice president of corporate affairs for Diageo.

The company, which manufactures products like Baileys, Guinness, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Jose Cuervo, is working with 17 other states to create a similar bill, Galanis said.