The Black & White Vol. 60 Issue 2

Fake ID culture continues to run rampant at Whitman

by Jamie Forman

Some names have been changed to protect students' privacy.

A small group of Whitman students line up outside a crowded bar in Bethesda. One at a time, they make their way to the bouncer, ID in hand. The first student walks up and confidently displays her New York driver’s license. After a quick glance, the bouncer waves her in. Adrenaline rushes over the next student as he hands over his ID. The bouncer scans the card — which claims that the student is 21 and from Rhode Island — and then bends it to check the validity of the card’s material. After a brief pause, the bouncer hands back the ID and lets the student through. One after another, the group presents their miscellaneous assortments of driver’s licenses from around the country. And just like that, the group is in.

For many teens, obtaining a fake ID is not only a convenience but a rite of passage. For decades, teenagers have used fake IDs to gain access to alcohol — a practice that continues today.

Senior Nicholas purchased his fake ID during his sophomore year. The ID allowed him to avoid the hassle of buying alcohol through someone else, which saved him money, he said.

“There’ve only been two times when someone has questioned if it was real,” he said. “After I assured them that it was, they just believed me.”

The origin of fake ID culture is widely attributed to the mid 1980s, after the federal government increased the national drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1984. The new drinking age limited college students’ access to alcohol, So many students turned to fake IDs, which display false personal information in order to fabricate a legal age required for the purchase and consumption of alcohol.

High school students soon followed in these college students’ footsteps. In the mid ‘80s, one study by The National Institutes of Health found that 74.1% of high school senior men and 65.4% of high school senior women drank alcohol within the last 30 days.

Whitman alum and current Whitman father Adam Chase (‘92) recalls how students frequently broke the laws regarding alcohol during his high school years.

“Although I don’t quite remember how they got the alcohol, it was definitely present at field and house parties,” he said.

Some parents have seemingly promoted the purchase of fake IDs. Senior Jessica explains how her parents — not her peers — have encouraged this behavior.

“My dad was the one who told me to get it,” Jessica said. “[He said] I can use it when I go visit my older brother at college.”

Senior Matt experienced a similar reaction from his parents.

“My mom knows, but not my dad,” Matt said. “When she found out she smiled, was very sweet, and told me ‘I remember when I got my first fake ID when I was younger.’”

Other parents, however, are concerned about the dangers that come with owning a fake ID, such as legal punishments and alcohol abuse. Senior Kelsie decided to keep her fake a secret, worried about her parents confiscating it.

“They would definitely take it away from me and probably ground me for a long, long time,” Kelsie said.

Whether by a simple Google search or connections through friends, it’s increasingly accessible for underage students to buy fake IDs, senior Alex said.

A common method for purchasing a fake ID is buying in groups for a discounted rate. Students prefer to buy with friends because as the number of people in the order increases, the price decreases, Jessica said.

“My friends and I got them all in the same order,” Jessica said. “I got two copies of my fake for $55.”

Certain students facilitate the purchasing process itself. Junior Elliot acts as a “middle man” between students and suppliers.

“I saw the business opportunity and I took it,” Elliot said. “I collected the information and photos from the students. We hooked up with a local dealer in D.C. who's getting them shipped from Mexico.” However, students often report that challenges arise not with purchasing IDs, but with their success rate.

Talbert’s Ice & Beverage — an alcohol store in Bethesda — has a no tolerance policy for fake IDs. Talbert’s rule is evident as soon as you enter: A wall covered in confiscated fake IDs greets each customer by the door.

“We are very vigilant — if an underage person presents us with a fake ID, we immediately take it away,” Talbert’s employee Toni said. “If they give us any fight, then we’ll call their parents or the police without hesitation.”

Maryland law prohibits providing alcohol to minors and assesses fines and possibly liquor license suspensions for retail establishments that do. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, defendants in Maryland who show that they attempted “due caution” in determining whether a customer was of legal drinking age may have their charges dropped — a loophole that protects retail establishments when the IDs are convincing. An exception also exists in Marylandfor parents who furnish alcohol at their private residence to immediate family only.

However, not every store has the same policy as Talbert’s. Multiple students, such as Alex, note that certain liquor stores, smoke shops and bars in the area typically don’t ask students to show their cards, or they knowinglysell to minors for profit.

“One time when we were checking out at one of those stores, the cashier made a point that he preferred cash rather than credit cards,” Alex said. “Credit cards can be traced, and parents can see where you made your purchases.”

According to Maryland’s Transportation Code, section 16-301, it’s considered a misdemeanor to possess or use a fake ID, with consequences stretching up to a potential $500 fine and six months in jail. The punishments increase for those supplying fakes — if caught selling fake IDs, it’s possible to receive a $2,000 fine and a twoyear prison sentence.

In addition to legal penalties, consequences can impact a student’s future, both academically and professionally. Students under the age of 18 face the risk of suspension and expulsion from school, sports teams and extracurriculars. Those convicted of a fake ID-related offense can also lose their driver’s license for up to six months for a first offense or a year for a second offense.

Many students confidently accept the threat of punishment as a risk for the freedom that comes with a fake ID.

“It is definitely worth it, but only if you’re smart about it,” Matt said. “I don’t think that it is worth going to jail for but if it gets confiscated then that’s just $50.”

Considering the effectiveness of fake IDs, some students question the worth of abiding by drinking laws.

“I think that the drinking age should be lowered to 18,” Kelsie said. “If you’re old enough to enlist in the military, then why do we have to wait three more years to legally drink alcohol?”

While most European countries have a drinking age of 16 or 18, the U.S. hasn’t followed suit. Matt believes that a similarly lowered drinking age would actually decrease underage alcohol use.

“People want what they can’t have,” Matt said. “With the drinking age being 21, teenagers are more tempted to test the rules, but if it were lowered, then I think there would be less youth alcohol abuse.”

In the U.S., youth alcoholism has persisted for generations. A study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that out of more than 43,000 adults who developed alcoholism, 47% already met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence by age 21. In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study conducted among high school students, nearly a third of respondents reported that they drink alcohol, and 14% said they had “binge drank” in the last month — a habit defined by the CDC as a “pattern of excessive alcohol use." Consuming heavy amounts of alcohol can disturb a teenager’s brain development and cause memory complications, an inability to learn efficiently, trouble with verbal skills and even depression,according to the CDC.

Some students believe that the widespread fake ID use is largely a product of glamorization by the media. Movies like “Superbad,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Catch Me If You Can” present how fake IDs and identity theft are ingrained into mainstream American culture, junior Brad said. “Everywhere you look, there are movies and TV shows of high schoolers drinking and smoking underage,” Brad said. “How can parents be mad at us for doing those things when those illegal actions are displayed so often?”

Beyond the influence of the media, Matt notes that peer pressure and the fear of missing out are other underlying factors that can often motivate a student to purchase a fake ID.

“There’s a sense of peer pressure that might make you want to get your hands on a fake,” he said. “If you don’t have a fake, then you can’t go out with your friends to bars and would have to stay home.”

Although the consequences for breaking drinking laws can be steep, some students believe they only further motivate teens to rebel.

“Underage people are going to drink no matter what,” Nicholas said. “The more limits and rules there are, the more we will want to break, so there’s no point in trying to limit us.”