Students Urge Wash. AG to Investigate Online Alcohol Retailers August 16, 2004
News Summary
Several underaged Gonzaga University students were able to easily purchase alcohol over the Internet, and are calling on Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire to investigate the online companies that sold and delivered alcohol to minors, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Aug. 9."Despite being underage, we were able to buy alcohol unchallenged from respected companies selling wine like Costco.com to less-known Internet sites that sell all forms of alcohol, including hard liquor," said Paul Schafer, president of Gonzaga's chapter of Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, the student organization that conducted the experiment.
The students said all they needed to purchase the alcohol was a credit card and a computer. The sites didn't ask for age confirmation, and the deliveries of liquor, beer and wine came without anyone questioning their ages.
"We believe the attorney general is not doing her job in enforcing an equal standard of the law," Schafer said. "A liquor-store owner will be fined and may lose his or her license if alcohol is sold to a minor, but there are no consequences, or no one checking, for the Internet retailers."
Under Washington law, selling hard liquor online is illegal. Only limited online sales of wine is allowed.
Gregoire's staff said the attorney general has not decided on a course of action in response to the Gonzaga request. Previously, Gregoire indicated her support for allowing interstate shipment of wines nationwide.
Bob Burdick, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said, "If tequila is being sold online, it's being sold illegally. We'd be very concerned about that."
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