Wisconsin may soon be cutting off minors from drinking in taverns, even with parental supervision.
Under current law, children of any age can drink alcohol with a parent’s supervision in any location, including bars, if the establishment allows it. But under a bill that passed the state Assembly last week, one of the state’s most lenient drinking laws would be revised to allow only those older than 18 to drink with their parents.
The Senate has until the end of today, the last day of the Legislative session, to vote on the bill. If passed, the bill would go to Gov. Jim Doyle to be signed or vetoed.
John Vander Meer, an assistant to one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Kim Hixson (D-Whitewater), said Wisconsin’s drinking tradition has unnecessarily exposed minors to alcohol consumption.
The new law “affords responsible parents the ability to introduce their children to alcohol at a responsible age,” Vander Meer said. He added that Wisconsin ranked highest in the nation in drinking among high schoolers.
Bill supporters say there is ample evidence that shows the detrimental effects of alcohol consumption on children. Aside from injuries that may happen while intoxicated, alcohol can also impede adolescent brain development and can lead to clinical depression, said Lisa Maroney, a spokeswoman for University of Wisconsin Health.
In addition, those who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Some think the new law wouldn’t go far enough in impeding underage drinking.
“(The current law) is an historical anachronism that should be repealed,” said Julia Sherman, who has previously lobbied for legislation to reduce underage drinking for the American Medical Association and other advocacy organizations.
Sherman said the new legislation probably won’t result in any meaningful change in the alcohol consumption environment of Wisconsin.
Jeff Wiswell, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Sheriff’s and Deputy Sheriff’s Association, agreed with Sherman, but he said the new law would be a good first step toward making the state a better place as it pertains to underage drinking.
Those against the law change think the revision is the wrong approach to curbing underage drinking. Julie Coquard, marketing director for Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, said the law as it is currently written is sufficient. She said it eliminates the “forbidden fruit” effect of alcohol.
It also allows parents to educate their children about responsible alcohol consumption as they grow up, instead of expecting them to learn everything once they can legally drink unsupervised, she said.
Under the state’s current law, it’s up to bartenders to decide who to serve and who not to serve, said Kelly Belott, a bartender at Fourth Base, 5117 W. National Ave.
“Personally, I’m not comfortable with 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds drinking in the bar,” she said. “But if it’s a 19- or 20-year-old coming in for dinner with parents, that’s a different story.”