Under age drinking.

[Kenn]

I had to pause when the statement was made on tonight's news that £5.00 will buy enough alcohol to kill a 15yr old and with no reference to the fact that it is illegal for any one of that age to purchase it.
As an ex licensee I know the under age will try every trick in the book to obtain it, I wondered if there is not a ring round system in operation where proprietors of licensed premises alert each other with discriptions of the youngsters or a direct phone line to the police?
It is also not rocket science to work out if an adult is buying for others, just think about what is being purchased, if a customer asks for 3 X 1/2 bttls of vodka backed up by cans of cider and strong lager then it is very likely that it is not for their own consumption.
I am not sure how the mind set of a small minority can be changed with regard to thinking that they cannot have fun without a drink but perhaps if they had to watch whilst some one was having their stomache pumped at A & E or who had collapsed into the gutter in an alcoholic coma, they might just think twice.

[John Little]

I do not think that it is illegal for them to purchase it. I believe, though I may be corrected, that the criminal offence is in selling it to people underage. The law, in theory, makes it impossible for underage children to obtain drink - unless an adult sells it to them.

[theone]

I had to pause when the statement was made on tonight's news that £5.00 will buy enough alcohol to kill a 15yr old and

Typical media hype to try to get a reaction.

I'm sure you could buy many things, knifes etc that could kill a 15 year old for less than a fiver.

I wonder what the statistics are for how many 15 year olds died after consuming alcohol costing less than a fiver. Has/does it happen? To what extent? Without facts and figures to back up such an alarmist statement it is, in my opinion, void.


I do not think that it is illegal for them to purchase it. I believe, though I may be corrected, that the criminal offence is in selling it to people underage. The law, in theory, makes it impossible for underage children to obtain drink - unless an adult sells it to them.

It's illegal to:
Buy or attempt to buy alcohol if you are under 18. You're also breaking the law if you drink alcohol on licensed premises if you are underage

Taken from http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drinking/responsibledrinking/drinkingandthelaw

Again, I think it would be interesting to see the statistics for those convicted of trying to buy alcohol underage. It'll be pretty low I imagine.

The laws are there to stop this problem, but they are not being enforced. I'd like to see more time and effort spent tackiling the criminals than promoting price increases to hurt those of us obeying the law.

[gollach]

The laws are there to stop this problem, but they are not being enforced. I'd like to see more time and effort spent tackiling the criminals than promoting price increases to hurt those of us obeying the law.

I agree. Get the police up the Mall any weekend night. Or beside the Library. Or behind the music shop. Or along the Victoria Walk - now that it is nicely lit for underage drinkers to see where they are going.

[Kenn]

You miss my point entirely, what shocked me was the fact that there was no reference to it being illegal for 15 year olds to purchase alcohol.

[theone]

You miss my point entirely, what shocked me was the fact that there was no reference to it being illegal for 15 year olds to purchase alcohol.

That is my point entirely!

It is illegal, but instead of the existing law being promoted and enforced we are continually fed with government plans to tackle the problem, most of which include increased cost to the law abiding citizen.

[macbreeza]

I was exactly the same at the woman on the news last night with her statement about £5 worth of drink being able to kill a 15 year old, I thought "wait a minute, a 15 year old shouldn't be drinking alcohol?" maybe she should be more concerned with how 15 year olds get their hands on it in the first place and what their parents are doing????? silly mare. I am also thinking that if it could kill a 15 year old then couldn't also kill an 18 year old? Can't see the big difference in growth etc and your tolerance etc considering you would only be drinking for the first time at 18 anyway?!

Pure scaremongering. The problem is not the price of drink, it's why people choose to binge on it in the first place?

[weezer 316]

I reckon they shoud raise the price of tinned soup. 90p is enough for a 15yo to drown in and they are able to buy it.

I wish there was a tongue in cheek font.

Hypocrisy when it comes to mind bending narcotics is incredible.