Alcohol: NC Laws
The following are explanations of the North
Carolina State laws concering alcohol. This information was taken directly from
www.med.unc.edu
Underage drinking
·
The drinking age in North Carolina is
21.
·
If you're under 21, possession,
purchase or attempted purchase of liquor (fortified wine, spirits, mixed
drinks) is illegal. The penalties include fines and court costs (usually
totaling $70), and possible imprisonment.
·
If you're under 19, possession,
purchase or attempted purchase of beer or wine carries penalties of fines and
court costs (usually totaling $70), and possible imprisonment.
·
If you're 19 or 20 possession, purchase
or attempted purchase of beer or wine carries a fine of $10 to $25.
·
If you help an underage person buy
alcohol, or buy it for them, you face a fine, court costs, possible
imprisonment, and lose your drivers license for a year. If you're over 21 and
do this, you can be fined up to $2,000 and be jailed for up to two years.
·
If you use a fake or borrowed ID to buy
alcohol, or lend your ID to someone, you risk having your own driver's license
suspended.
Drunk driving
·
Driving with any amount of alcohol in
the body is illegal for anyone under 21, and results in a one-year license
suspension. People 18-20 may receive an alternative sanction of limited driving
privileges.
·
Driving with a blood alcohol
concentration of .08%--Driving While Impaired--carries a range of sentences and
fines, from 24 hours to two years in prison and between $100 and $2000 in
fines. Your license can be suspended for at least a year, or revoked
permanently. If someone dies as a result of your drunk driving, you can go to
jail for much longer.
Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Objectives calls for all 50 States to lower legal blood alcohol
concentration tolerance levels to 0.04% for motor vehicle drivers older
than 20 with "zero tolerance" for younger drivers. This is because
noticeable impairment of driving ability starts around that level.
·
It is illegal to have an open container
of alcohol in a vehicle's passenger area if the driver has been drinking at
all. Second conviction carries a six-month license revocation. Third conviction
loses your license for a year.
·
A person can be charged with driving
while impaired with blood alcohol concentrations under 0.08% if police observe 
erratic driving.
Illegal Drugs
·
Possession of illegal drugs can send
you to jail for up to five years or cost you fines of up to $2000.
·
Selling illegal drugs to others carries
a jail term of up to ten years.
Public drunkenness
·
If you become disruptive in public
(violent, insulting, using profanity, urinating) as a result of being drunk,
you can be fined up to $50 dollars and spend up to a month in jail.
Liability for Others' Drinking
·
There's a growing trend to hold people
who serve alcohol--at bars and restaurants or at private events--responsible
for injuries caused by the drunk driving of people they give drinks to. If you
give people alcohol at a party you host and let them drive home, you can be sued
or even face criminal charges for damage or injuries they cause.
© Sarah Shirley 2010