Alcohol Law in California
Articles of Law:
California Alcohol Laws mentions, "It’s illegal for anyone under age 21 to buy, or attempt to buy, any alcoholic beverage. In addition, drinking alcohol below the age of 21 is a criminal offense. However, those under 21 may drink in a private location with a parent, guardian, or spouse age 21 or older."
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Case:
A high school international student went to a restaurant with his friends and ordered some bottles of beer during dinner. All of them were below 18. Without asking for any licenses from the students, the waiter gave them the beer. The person who ordered the beer drank some, and the rest of the others didn't drink. However, the person who drank the beer took some pictures, which contained all the students who went to the restaurant and posted them on Instagram.
After a few days, students' accommodation families found the pictures on Instagram and realized students drank the beer in the public without any guardians appearing. And the families called the police, all of the students soon were charged for drinking alcohol below the minimum age. Although there was only one person who drank the beer, other students appeared in the pictures. Nobody could tell whether the rest of them drank the beer or not besides students' sayings.
Based on the evidence above, all of the students who participated in the dinner should be charged in the same way. According to the local police officers after considering them as the first crime and other circumstances, all of the students were only charged with a $1000 fine and would not go to jails.
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Suggestions:
Although the drinking liqueur ages of most of the countries in the world are 18, some of the countries are even below; students who live and study in America should have a basic knowledge that it is illegal to drink alcohol until 21, except 5 states: Hawaii, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Carolina, and New Jersy.
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