By implementing a new Breathalyzer policy for everyone under 21, the Aggie Theatre has quickly become one of the lamest venues in Colorado.
Being 22 years old, this policy doesn’t affect me, but it still irks me.
I was a teenager once, and I went to concerts without having my sobriety inspected upon entry. I also know that if I were underage, I would be having second thoughts about going to the Aggie.
Being asked to blow into a breathalyzer is already embarrassing, but having to do it just because you’re not twenty-one is illogical.
Sure, if you’re under 21 you could just not drink and this wouldn’t be a big deal, but that is never going to happen. A teenager getting drunk is nothing new to us.
However, because of this new policy, kids may be inclined to indulge in drugs other than alcohol before a concert because a breathalyzer cannot detect pills or powders.
A breathalyzer also won’t stop anyone from going inside and getting into a fight.
But enough with all this underage nonsense — who’s to say that it’s only the underage kids causing the problems?
Does this new policy mean that a 21-year-old can enter the Aggie intoxicated, bypass the breathalyzer and then drink more at the bar inside? It’s the people who are of-age that are likely to cause the problems because more liquor is available at the bar for them to consume during a concert.
Furthermore, it’s still possible for a 21-year-old to buy a drink and then give it to a minor. And if adults aren’t going to be searched upon entry, then why couldn’t somebody just sneak in a flask for their underage friends?
From what I’ve seen, the Aggie is well policed and underage kids caught drinking are promptly tossed out, but the recent report detailing the number of incidents related to the Aggie also comes to no surprise with me.
Sure, I’ve seen fights and kids that are too drunk to take care of themselves, but you can see that at any other bar in Old Town. This is something that is inherent to the business that the Aggie takes part in. People sometimes enjoy themselves too much at shows, and age has nothing to do with it.
Instead of wasting time and effort breathalyzing and searching every kid that enters, scan everyone’s ID and implement a database to keep track of troublemakers. That way after an incident they could be barred from entering again. Most bars use this system, and it works smoothly without scapegoating an entire demographic.
In my opinion, underage drinking is not the problem at the Aggie, it’s the small group of morons that go to Old Town and wreak havoc.
An ID system would be a long-term solution to the Aggie’s quarrels with rowdy, drunken patrons. Putting a breathalyzer at the door might impede some hooligans, but it won’t permanently fix anything.
Unfortunately for now, minors will have to pay the price for everyone else.
