SENECA – Some local businesses that sell alcohol to the public are taking a proactive approach to guarding against fines for selling to minors.

More and more businesses, wary of undercover stings to stop illegal sales to minors, are signing up to take a merchant education class being offered by the Anderson-Oconee Behavioral Services’ Alcohol Enforcement Team.

The class is mandatory for those businesses caught and fined for selling alcohol to undercover teens taking part in law enforcement stings. South Carolina enacted underage drinking legislation in 2007 that allows teens to participate in stings of bars and convenience stores.

A 2006 study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) underscored a serious underage-drinking problem in South Carolina that cost the state nearly $900 million. The study claims alcohol abuse by minors takes its toll on the state through youth violence ($462.2 million), youth traffic crashes ($238.3 million), high-risk sex among youths ages 14-20 ($75 million), youth property crime ($52.4 million), youth injury ($24.2 million), poisonings and psychoses ($5.1 million), fetal alcohol syndrome among mothers ages 15-20 ($14.2 million) and youth alcohol treatment ($14.2 million).

The legal drinking age in South Carolina is 21.

Fines and costs to businesses caught dispensing alcohol to minors range from $465 to $675 for a first offense to $675 to $1,087 for subsequent violations, said Kirsten Abderhalden, an Alcohol Enforcement Team Coordinator.

Abderhalden, who presented a merchant education class this week to Ingles Supermarket managers in Seneca, said businesses could easily avoid problems by making sure that their employees take the time to carefully verify the ID of anyone purchasing alcohol.

“A lot of people are unaware that if an ID is expired it is not acceptable,” Abderhalden said. “Out goal is to have IDs checked as part of a procedure to be followed by clerks and cashiers even if the person doing the purchasing is 45 or 64 years old.”

The classes also help businesses spot for false or doctored identification cards.

Abderhalden also emphasizes to businesses that their employees have a right to reject a sale if they suspect the ID is bogus or the consumer already appears to be intoxicated.

Several restaurants have requested classes for all of their employees, Abderhalden said. The classes last 2-1/2 hours and include a half-hour test, she added.

To request a class, call Anderson-Oconee Behavioral Services at (864) 882-7563, ext. 115.