The law was implemented to deter people of age from supplying alcohol to minors at parties. The issue is of particular relevance to the East Lansing community after three men faced felony charges earlier this year for hosting a party in January where they provided alcohol to a group of four minors, three of whom died in a car crash that same evening.

East Lansing police Capt. Kim Johnson said if officers are called to or come across a party and discover minors are being served alcohol from a keg, the registration tag will help them identify who supplied the alcohol.

Johnson said the East Lansing Police Department did not have to check any kegs this past weekend, but in the past, party throwers have left the residence when the police arrive or individuals at a party will simply deny knowing who purchased the keg.

“It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened in the past where people will not take responsibility for purchasing a keg,” Johnson said. “It was very difficult to track down the person who bought in the past, but this should make it easier.”

Local party store owners said there was no noticeable drop-off in keg sales during the first weekend of the law, but it is too soon tell what the long term effects will be.

Alec Nagy, manager of Big Ten Okemos, 2950 E. Jolly Road, in Okemos, said the Big Ten Party Stores in the Lansing area started tagging their kegs before the official start date to get their customers accustomed to the process.

Michigan is the most recent state to implement a keg registration law; 27 other states and District of Columbia also have a similar law. Nagy said he has seen reports of drastic decreases in keg sales in other states following the implementation of the law, so he is cautious about the future.

“They put the law into effect out East a couple months ago, and they saw keg sales decrease by 75 percent. That may be indicative of what is to come,” he said. “But having not even been a week yet, it’s tough to tell.”

Director of Loss Prevention for the Quality Dairy Company Jim Burt said Quality Dairy stores throughout Greater Lansing have been educating customers as well, particularly at their 1109 E. Grand River Ave. store — a popular keg-buying location.

Burt said he is not concerned because, even for customers who do not want to go through the process of registering

their keg, they still have the option of buying beer by the case.

Construction management freshman Joseph Trubiano said he can see this law being a deterrent for people who are thinking about supplying alcohol to minors but said the law is not the most effective measure for limiting underage drinking.

“Everything is effective to a degree,” Trubiano said.

“(But) there are not as many huge parties that get kegs as there are just minors sitting in the dorms drinking.”