§281-101.5 Prohibitions involving minors; penalty. (a) Any adult who provides or purchases liquor for consumption or use by a person under twenty-one years of age shall be guilty of the offense under section 712-1250.5.

(b) No minor shall consume or purchase liquor and no minor shall consume or have liquor in the minor's possession or custody in any public place, public gathering, or public amusement, at any public beach or public park, or in any motor vehicle on a public highway; provided that notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this subsection shall not apply to:

(1) Possession or custody of liquor by a minor in the course of delivery, pursuant to the direction of the minor's employer lawfully engaged in business necessitating the delivery;

(2) Possession, custody, or consumption of liquor by a minor in connection with the minor's authorized participation in religious ceremonies requiring such possession, custody, or consumption; or

(3) Any person between the ages of eighteen and twenty, who is participating in a controlled purchase as part of a law enforcement activity or a study authorized by the department of health to determine the level of incidence of liquor sales to minors.

(c) No minor shall falsify any identification or use any false identification or identification of another person or of a fictitious person for the purpose of buying or attempting to buy liquor or for the purpose of obtaining employment to sell or serve liquor on licensed premises.

(d) Any person under age eighteen who violates this section shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the family court. Any person age eighteen to twenty-one who violates subsection (b) or (c) shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor. The court shall order that any person under twenty-one years of age found to be in violation of this section shall have, in addition to any other disposition or sentencing provision permitted by law, the person's license to operate a motor vehicle, or the person's ability to obtain a license to operate a motor vehicle, suspended as follows:

(1) For licensed drivers, the driver's license shall be suspended for not less than one hundred and eighty days with exceptions to allow, at the discretion of the sentencing court, driving to and from school, school-sponsored activities, and employment;

(2) For persons with a provisional license, the provisional license shall be suspended for not less than one hundred and eighty days with exceptions to allow, at the discretion of the sentencing court, driving to and from school, school-sponsored activities, and employment;

(3) For persons with an instruction permit, the instruction permit shall be suspended for not less than one hundred and eighty days with exceptions to allow, at the discretion of the sentencing court, driving to and from school, school-sponsored activities, and employment; or

(4) For persons not licensed to drive, eligibility to obtain a driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit shall be suspended until the age of seventeen or for one hundred and eighty days, at the discretion of the court; and

(5) Chapter 571 notwithstanding, in any case where a person under the age of eighteen violates this section, the family court judge may suspend the driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit, or suspend the eligibility to obtain a driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit in accordance with this section;

provided that the requirement to provide proof of financial responsibility pursuant to section 287-20 shall not be based upon a sentence imposed under paragraphs (1) and (2). In addition, all persons whether or not licensed, found to be in violation of this section shall be sentenced to seventy-five hours of community service work, and an eight to twelve hour program of alcohol education and counseling the costs of which shall be borne by the offender or the offender's parent or guardian.

(e) As used in this section, "consume" or "consumption" includes the ingestion of liquor. [L 1971, c 79, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1987, c 207, §1; am L 1999, c 228, §1; am L 2003, c 69, §2; am L 2006, c 202, §2 and c 203, §1]

Cross References

Overdose prevention; limited immunity, see §329-43.6.

Sale of confectionery with alcohol to minor, see §328-6.

Case Notes

There was substantial circumstantial evidence to show that defendant had consumed liquor and to support defendant's conviction for under age consumption of liquor under subsection (b) where both the school principal and vice-principal testified that they smelled alcohol emanating from defendant, officer testified that officer smelled alcohol on defendant's breath and possibly emanating from defendant's pores, indicating to officer that defendant had ingested alcohol, and officer observed defendant's unsteadiness and belligerent and defiant behavior. 122 H. 347 (App.), 226 P.3d 517 (2010).