On a platform that caters to everyone and does not have age restrictions, you would have to sell alcohol to everyone and a subset of everyone is indeed children
I don't deny that 18 year-olds have access to alcohol. I did plenty of drinking well before I was 18. It would be hard to argue however, that lowering the drinking age to 18 wouldn't give them more and easier access to alcohol.
There are tons of laws that I disagree with in this country but this isn't one of them. In fact, I think penalties for selling to under age kids should be much more harsh than they are now.
Young children, sure. But teenagers? I had a full beard by 16. The only reliable way we've ensured not to sell alcohol to kids is to verify ID. (And it's not terribly reliable anyway.)
You don’t consider an age minimum of 18 to purchase alcohol an age limit?
The link they posted even has a pretty picture within of the areas without age limits. They’re all mostly in Africa, Vietnam has a shout at stable and successful though.
Sure. But that's ultimately because the government has defined that facilitating beer sales to people under 21 is illegal.
If the government decided to stay out of drug regulation entirely, would it be reasonable for companies like Reddit to decide on their own that people under some age should not be able to purchase beer online, set that age, etc.? (Presumably, because there is not overwhelming public support to repeal those laws, society at large believes that young people should be prevented, passive voice, from buying beer - if we move enforcement of that social problem to the people, how should that get implemented?)
So you'd be fine with a shop set up next to your kids' school specifically to sell alcohol to them? Because that's essentially how social media works right now.
Because people are awfully good at getting around laws preventing the purchase of things, particularly when those things are legally purchasable by adults -- c.f., cigarettes, alcohol. It's not crazy to think that a multi-pronged approach would be more effective: Try to reduce sales both sales _and appeal_ to underage people. We do this with alcohol, for example, particularly high-alcohol malt liquor [1]. We ban or restrict advertising when it's likely to reach children. [2]
So a liquor store should not be responsible for age restrictions and sell alcohol to minors? I think there is always a sliding point between where the government or companies police the rules. It's an interesting conversation where that point should be.
Possibly. But under-age drinkers don’t regularly source moonshine. If the legal market is there it’s
more likely they’ll find ways to acquire store-bought stuff.
What if their parents are ordering them to sell the cans of soft drink all day and the kids have no choice? If you allow 7 year olds to do it, do you allow 27 yr olds? What of the 27 year old looks like a junkie and they are selling drinks in a nice middle class neighbourhood? Do you have one law for nice wholesome people and another for the underclass? If so, how do you write that law?
and allow 16- and 17-year–olds to serve alcohol with a parent’s permission
Helloplease? If stuff like that is written into a bill, it's because of a lobbyist - evidently there's a shortage of workers in the hospitality field. How about improving working conditions instead? It's a market, if the offer is good, they'll come!
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