>>>>>I don't think it should be legal for minors any more than alcohol is....plus, better education is required. The situation now is worse than ever - kids are getting hooked on everything and getting into serious trouble with the law at the same time. I'd much rather they get rehab, education, and support.
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>>>In many parts of the world, alcohol is legal for minors if provided by a parent- I know many a European family that gives a thimble glass to kids with dinner, for example. Which is cool: IMHO the law is like the financial system, set up and paid for by communities to foster the way of life that they want to pursue. But if the law falls out of step with community then (as Bumble says in Oliver Twist) the Law is an Ass. If that's the message we want to send to kids, we're doing a fine job. I'd also suggest that prohibition wasn't a great success last time around and isn't today either, except for the Capone-types who rise to power because the Law is being an Ass.
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>>Not sure how the law would have looked on it, but my boys had a thimble's worth of wine every Friday night and on other Jewish holidays for many years. It was part of our teaching them that there is a place and time for alcohol. It seems to have worked. They both use alcohol responsibly.
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>>Tamar
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>Not sure how the law would have looked on it, but my boys had a thimble's worth of HEROIN every Friday night and on other Jewish holidays for many years. It was part of our teaching them that there is a place and time for HEROIN. It seems to have worked. They both use HEROIN responsibly.
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>Not sure how the law would have looked on it, but my boys had a thimble's worth of CRACK every Friday night and on other Jewish holidays for many years. It was part of our teaching them that there is a place and time for CRACK. It seems to have worked. They both use CRACK responsibly.
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>Not sure how the law would have looked on it, but my boys had a thimble's worth of STRICNINE every Friday night and on other Jewish holidays for many years. It was part of our teaching them that there is a place and time for STRICNINE. It seems to have worked. They both use STRICNINE responsibly.
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But of course, the use of alcohol in reasonable quantities is legal and not toxic. FWIW, even during prohibition, you could get wine for ritual purposes. (Of course, that turned into a huge loophole, but that's another story.)

The flip side of what we did is that, outside ritual use, our kids were not permitted alcohol at all. And they never, once, saw either of us intoxicated.

Tamar