# License to buy alcohol **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 13, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480 "2015-11-13T17:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/1 "2015-11-13T17:02:55Z")
I believe that much like driving a car, people should be licensed in order to buy alcohol. If people can be shown to have a history of misusing the alcohol that they buy, whether personally or through their distribution to others who misuse it, they can have their license revoked. We may take away the driver’s license of a drunk driver, but it’s a lot harder to stop someone from driving a car they already own compared to significantly limiting their access to alcohol. And there’s no reason that it would be limited to drunk driving offenses; any drunk and disorderly conduct could give rise to a revocation of the license. If they didn’t have a license, we’d go after whoever provided the alcohol to them. True, there are ways of creating alcoholic beverages that are impossible to monitor, and they might get rather popular with people who have lost licenses, but I don’t think it should stop us from cracking down on people who abuse alcohol and thereby cause harm or even distress to others. Feel free to tell me that there’s absolutely no way that this will ever happen; I agree it’s much like how we’re not going to get cigarettes banned despite all the harm they cause and the existence of safer alternatives to nicotine delivery. That doesn’t stop me from having my opinion on the subject, and I welcome debate as to whether it might be a theoretically good idea. Really, banning alcohol would be perfectly reasonable in light of our other drug laws, but I think that a better solution in all cases is to allow people licenses of some sort for the purchases of drugs that are known to be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/2 "2015-11-13T17:06:07Z")
People should have the right to be problem drinkers. Their lives, their choices. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/3 "2015-11-13T17:08:37Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Their lives, their choices. Until your life chooses to enter the freeway in the wrong direction. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/4 "2015-11-13T17:09:11Z")
So when an alcoholic can’t buy a beer at a bar or at the corner store, he’ll just, what? Go sober? Or will he buy it off the street from a criminal? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/5 "2015-11-13T17:10:48Z")
How would you regulate private parties? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/6 "2015-11-13T17:26:59Z")
Would be a huge waste of government resources, with very minimal impact. And generally a dumb idea. Complete prohibition was a failure, this partial regulatory solution would be an even bigger failure. More people die of heart disease from obesity related conditions than alcohol related diseases. How about a license to purchase carbs? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/7 "2015-11-13T17:49:47Z")
How would you enforce it? Would clerks be required to check for a license at the point of sale? Also, it would probably require a constitutional amendment since each state has its own set of liquor laws. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/8 "2015-11-13T18:30:10Z")
Well, it doesn’t really require a lot of investment, smarts or special ingredients to make alcohol, (good alcohol can be another story). So, I’d imagine the unlicensed would just brew at home. I’ve known more than one kid who did it in their closet in high school. All you need is some sweet liquid that yeast can eat, yeast, appropriately sized plastic bottles, and a balloon. Nasty stuff, but if you wanted to get drunk real bad, it was there. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/9 "2015-11-13T18:35:43Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > How would you enforce it? Would clerks be required to check for a license at the point of sale? Also, it would probably require a constitutional amendment since each state has its own set of liquor laws. Simple. You’ll have an Alcohol Drinking Bureau. You have to pass a drinking test. Written and oral. If you fail, you can take it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/10 "2015-11-13T19:32:30Z")
I’ve always thought this is a good idea too. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/11 "2015-11-13T19:33:40Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Simple. You’ll have an Alcohol Drinking Bureau. Or just tack it onto the DMV’s responsibilities. They already test and give out licenses. You could even just have a check box on driver’s licenses and IDs for “approved to drink.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/12 "2015-11-13T19:57:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Simple. You’ll have an Alcohol Drinking Bureau. You have to pass a drinking test. > Written and oral. > If you fail, you can take it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. I’d probably react like Dr. Johnny Fever when he got drunk on the air on WKRP. My reflexes would get faster. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/13 "2015-11-13T20:00:51Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > …but I don’t think it should stop us from cracking down on people who abuse alcohol and thereby cause harm or even distress to others. You mean like enforcing laws against domestic battery, drunk driving, disturbing the peace and the like? You offer a solution in search of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/14 "2015-11-13T20:01:34Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Or just tack it onto the DMV’s responsibilities. They already test and give out licenses. You could even just have a check box on driver’s licenses and IDs for “approved to drink.” They don’t handle the responsibilities they have NOW adequately. Why would you want to pile more on their (incompetently-handled) plate? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/15 "2015-11-13T20:10:42Z")
This thread is about gun regulation, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/16 "2015-11-13T20:48:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > They don’t handle the responsibilities they have NOW adequately. Why would you want to pile more on their (incompetently-handled) plate? DMVs get a bad rap. Here in Washington, I think they (it’s the Department of Licensing here, actually) do a great job. I barely have to wait when I visit them, and one visit clears up any problem. Here we reserve our wrath for how WSDOT handles toll collection. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/17 "2015-11-13T20:58:47Z")
Courts already do take away peoples’ right to drink very frequently in the form of “no alcohol” being a condition on virtually every probation or parole arrangement. DUI’s and pretty much any other minor crime that’s even vaguely alcohol related also usually come with a lengthy court-ordered “no alcohol” restriction. Sure, there’s no real enforcement to make sure they never have a drink ever, but it makes it way easier for those folks to get sent to jail (or back to jail) if they’re not drinking responsibly. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/18 "2015-11-13T21:23:07Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Simple. You’ll have an Alcohol Drinking Bureau. You have to pass a drinking test. > Written and oral. > If you fail, you can take it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. How much would you have to drink to pass the oral exam? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/19 "2015-11-13T21:46:13Z")
Sounds like prohibition by another name. Good luck. Also: This is why there are anarchists. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480/20 "2015-11-13T21:57:36Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Simple. You’ll have an Alcohol Drinking Bureau. You have to pass a drinking test. Here we have the [Liquor Administration Board](http://search.records.nsw.gov.au/agencies/1178) which I think is a much more professional sounding name for a body concerned with administering liquor to people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480.md?page=2)