NewMexiKen wasn’t the only one who thought carding grandpas was stupid.
Some people who sell alcoholic beverages seem to be taking the state’s requirements for proof of age too seriously.
Since 2004, the state has received complaints about people older than 50 — including one 80-year-old man — being carded.
“We commend people for taking the legal age seriously,” state Regulation and Licensing Superintendent Ed Lopez said.
While it can be difficult to tell a 20-year-old from someone who is 21 or even 30, “when you get to be 50 or 80, it’s clear,” he said.
Recent complaints prompted Gary Tomada, head of the state Alcohol and Gaming Division, to send a memo to about a thousand alcohol license holders across the state last week.
Licensees should feel confident that if they serve alcohol to people over 50 years old who don’t have identification and who are not intoxicated, the Regulation and Licensing Department won’t enforce citations issued against them, Tomada said.
State law requires that places that serve alcohol shall refuse to sell or serve alcohol to anyone who cannot produce an identity card showing they are older than 21.
Perhaps those that sell alcohol fear Dorian Gray will put one over on them.