Underage Consumption of Alcohol?

you should get another boyfriend (one that is not going to end up in jail) underage drinking, what is he thinking, I mean… gosh, I’m not a saint but this only reflects the decadence of our society, morals et all…

If he’s over 18 that’s just dumb. Every other country I can think of allows 18 year olds to drink. The U.S. needs to shut up and allow people to kick back and relax a little. (They do it anyways, as we can see with your brother).

elchoopanebre, its boyfriend not her brother. but i agree with you in terms of the legal drinking age. i mean germany is what 16. the problem is that here we treat it as this huge deal so people abuse it where in other countries, its nothing big and kids have wine and beer with dinner so they respect it and it becomes just part of the lifestyle so it doesnt get out of hand

Sorry, I meant boyfriend…

@elcho & waterskier Stop threadjacking! Whether there should be a different drinking age is not the issue here!

This site shows the various penalties and infractions for minors. You did not provide enough detail to know exactly what he is charged with. Just drinking is as follows:

“B. Consume liquor or imitation liquor, except in a home in the presence of the minor’s parent, legal guardian or custodian, as defined in Title 22, section 4002. The following penalties apply to violations of this paragraph.
(1) A minor who violates this paragraph commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $400 must be adjudged.
(2) A minor who violates this paragraph after having previously violated this section commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $300 and not more than $600 must be adjudged, none of which may be suspended except as provided in subsection 2, paragraph B.
(3) A minor who violates this paragraph after having previously violated this section 2 or more times commits a civil violation for which a fine of $600 must be adjudged, none of which may be suspended except as provided in subsection 2, paragraph B; [2003, c. 452, Pt. P, §4 (AMD); 2003, c. 452, Pt. X, §2 (AFF).]”

There are added infractions for driving as a minor with alcohol in your system or for buying liquor, and those have separate penalties.

The good news is that Maine regards the drinking infraction as a civil not criminal matter. For more information, your boyfriend may want to consult an attorney in Maine. If you google Maine OIU attorney, you will see some referrals. Most offer free initial consultations.

It was discussing the general topic…kinda

: P

@elcho Umm, there was no general topic here, but a specific question about a specific situation. I think your general topic might be worthy of a question if it has not been done or done recently.

Well, I got three MIPs (minor in possession) tickets before I turned 21. It wasn’t a big deal. I just payed the ticket and walked away. If Maine is anything like Oregon he can just mail in a check and be done with it.

Disclaimer: That is how it is in Oregon and I don’t know about Maine. And I don’t drive so I don’t know if the ticket will mess with his insurance.

This is one of those times that using a phone might be the most efficient way to find a answer to your question.

In his position I would consult a lawyer who offers free simple Q&A about what power Maine actually has to enforce against him since he lives in Pennsylvania, even when he is visiting Maine. Since he and his family have no say in the laws of Pennsylvania, and he’s a guest, one might consider principles of tyranny and/or hospitality when arguing that the charges might be waived.

@Marina – Looks to me like elchoo & waterskier were responding to flameboi’s original topic drift. Flameboi might be kind of on-topic in that Flameboi was suggesting another course of action, but in that case, responding that Flameboi is bringing his own morality to the question where civilization as a whole does not agree (also see France and Italy, where children learn to drink responsibly from an early age and there is no need for such laws), seems quite relevant.

@zaku
I do believe that the limit age for drinking is not appropriate, but, besides morality, if there is a limit, you should respect such limit, just to keep yourself out of trouble, like any other, like the speed limit for example, I love racing my car at 200 km/h in some isolated areas, but I know if I the cops ever get me, I’ll be in serious trouble… we all have to behave accordingly that’s all

@Flameboi – Well now we’re way off topic, but what you say looks inconsistent and inaccurate to me. You say yourself that some laws are inappropriate, we each have the power choose to obey or not and we may or may not get caught. Your conclusions of “should” and “have to” seem to be opinions (or morality) stated as truth, and even you say you choose to break them on your own terms, yet you advise someone else to find another boyfriend based on having been caught drinking underage.

Did you check out this thread?
http://www.fluther.com/disc/6414/i-am-20-and-just-received-an-underage-drinking-ticket-a/