Every now and then we hear of a bill introduced in the Legislature, and it makes us scratch our heads and wonder, "Whose bright idea was that?"
We heard about this one from James "J.J." Johnson, up at New Ulm Medical Center Substance Abuse Services. House File 2006, authored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn and Rep. Joe Mullery, two Minneapolis DFLers, would allow persons aged 18 to 21 to consume alcohol within the premises of an on-sale liquor establishment. It would also allow persons aged 16 to 18 consume alcohol in an on-sale establishment if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Minnesota has experimented in the past with lowering the drinking age. In the early 1970s it was lowered to 18, to match up with Wisconsin's age limit at the time and to answer the criticisms of 18-year-olds who felt it was kind of ironic that they could be drafted into the Army at 18 and sent to risk their lives Vietnam, but they couldn't have a beer. Then the age limit was raised to 19 when too many 18-year-olds were buying liquor for their younger buddies.
Then the federal government stepped in and said states should set their legal drinking age limit to 21, or forget about getting federal highway funds. It has been 21 ever since.
Johnson, who deals with a lot of young alcohol and drug abusers, thinks it's a terrible idea. We suppose there is some notion that allowing younger citizens to drink in the controlled atmosphere of a bar would help them learn to drink in a responsible fashion. Or, maybe it would just help them learn to drink.
Kahn also introduced a similar bill in the 2008-2009 legislative session.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Regulatory Reform, of which Mullery is a member. We hope the proposal stays there and perishes.