Some state lawmakers are trying to make it harder for underage residents to purchase alcohol or tobacco products.
In a plan by state Sen. Loren Bennett, R-Canton, those younger than 21 would have a vertical license or ID card indicating in red type the dates they turn 18 and 21.
Bennett plans to introduce the legislation to the Senate before the end of the year.
“It curbs people under 21 from purchasing alcohol,” said Matt Classens, a legislative aid to Bennett. “I think it is going to be effective. Several other states have done this and they have had very good success with it.”
Classens said the Michigan Liquor Control Commission does about 1,000 controlled buys a year to see if merchants are double checking licenses.
“What they find is that clerks are looking at the ID and even though it says under 21, they are selling it anyway,” he said.
East Lansing police officer Dan DeKorte said the identification change would make a difference.
“The problem is that it doesn’t take people long to copy those on computers and scanners,” he said. “The new license they thought was tamper-proof is already being reproduced. There are some good-looking fake licenses.”
DeKorte, who is also an alcohol liaison, said good fake licenses are selling for about $100.
“When you get someone that is manufacturing, they’ll learn how to do it,” he said. “If it was a felony, people would treat it a little more seriously.”
Students agreed the problem of underage drinking won’t be solved by changing identification formats.
“I don’t think it is necessary,” elementary education sophomore Michelle Semelsberger said. “Underage sales is a problem anyway. I don’t think the problem is with the IDs, it is with people checking them.
“I think the ones we have right now are good.”
History senior Jessica Lathrop said underage drinkers will find a way to get alcohol regardless of the way licenses are formatted.
“I don’t think it would be any more effective if people really want to buy,” she said.
“What would be the difference anyway of altering the format?”
Staff writer Casey McNenly contributed to this report.
