It's a well-known fact that you cannot drink until you are 21. This law is in place to prevent the harm alcohol can cause, from bad health to intoxication to the deadly effects of drunk driving. Arizona state law mentions that you can lose your driving privileges from simply buying alcohol, even if you weren't driving drunk. And, if you were driving drunk, jail time is possible, alongside a fine and an extended period of no driving. Not to mention the risk to yourself and others!
But this might raise some questions as to how someone under the age of 21 is supposed to work around alcohol. If you're employed as a bartender or a server at a bar, restaurant, or other place that sells beverages (also known as being on a premise), you can sell alcohol to patrons if you are at least 18 years old. This means that, if you're under 18 years old, you should never be asked to sell alcohol if you work at a restaurant or bar.
This changes a little for "off-premises" sales, which is when people take alcohol home to consume it there. You can sell alcohol to those kinds of patrons if you are 16 or older, but you must be actively supervised by someone who is 18 or older. The place that you're working at should also primarily serve items other than alcohol, so this means in this scenario you would have to be working in a place like a grocery store. You can learn more about the law here.
Written by Paul B.
July 2024