Reyes, R-Saipan, brought this up when the Senate discussed on Wednesday, a tougher measure against minors who drink alcohol and the stores that accommodate them.
Introduced by Rep. Edmund S. Villagomez, Covenant-Saipan, House Bill 17-17 imposes stiffer penalties on young people under 21 years old who drink and go to bars. They will face a fine of up to $1,000 and not more than 250 hours of community service for violation.
Those who help them violate the law will be fined up to $5,000. A store will have to pay the same amount and its license will be revoked.
The Senate failed to act on the bill because of many issues raised including those by Reyes who said it is about time for them to revisit the drinking age limit.
In an interview, Reyes said he noted that the bill still defines minor to be under 21 years old.
“I objected to that,” he said.
18-year-olds “are enlisting in the military service and risking their lives so that us here can enjoy the freedom to regulate their lives,” he added.
If an 18-year-old commits a crime, he or she will be tried as an adult, he said.
They’re considered adults “yet we don’t want them to consume alcohol or have an access to a bars.”
According to Reyes, “I think we need to redefine what minor means. If they can get into the military and go to war and risk their lives defending their country why can’t they consume alcohol?”
He added, “I think that it is time that we start treating our 18-year-old as adults. We need to treat them with respect and trust their own judgment and the decisions they make.”
But Sen. Ralph DLG. Torres, who was shaking his head in disagreement, said the law does not allow anyone under 21 to drink alcohol.
Torres, R-Saipan, said there is a difference in the behavior of an 18-year-olds and those 21 and above after they consume alcohol.
“Those 18-year-olds, what do they do after drinking alcohol?” he asked.
On Guam where the drinking age limit was 18, concerned citizens led by Mothers Against Drunk Driving successfully lobbied for the passage last year of legislation raising the legal drinking age to 21.
They said the 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws have reduced traffic fatalities by 13 percent and have saved thousands of lives since 1975.
