Nashville, Tenn. – Comer Wilson hasn’t had to show his ID to buy beer in a while. Maybe it’s the 66-year-old man’s long white beard.
Starting today, gray hair won’t be good enough. Wilson and everyone else will be required to show identification before buying beer in Tennessee stores – no matter how old the buyer appears.
“It’s the stupidest law I ever heard of,” Wilson said. “You can see I’m over 21.”
Tennessee is the first state to make universal carding mandatory, said the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. However, the law does not apply to beer sales in bars and restaurants, and it does not cover wine and liquor.
Supporters say the law keeps grocery store and convenience store clerks from having to guess a customer’s age. Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen said it’s a good way to address the problems of underage drinking.
And the 63-year-old governor said he personally won’t mind the extra effort to buy beer.
“I’ll be very pleased when I’m carded, and in my mind I’ll just imagine it’s because I look so young,” he said.
Rich Foge, executive director of the Tennessee Malt Beverage Association, said he expects some initial resistance from the beer-buying public.
“But once people live with it for a month or two, it’s going to go fine,” he said. “It gets routine after a while.”
