Montana and Pennsylvania are Different

The title of this blog is not exactly shocking, I know this. And no, this will not be a blog about large mountains, cowboys, or snow all year round (even though it is currently snowing here) This is going to be about laws. May not sound like a super interesting topic but stay with me for you East Coasters just wait til you hear what is legal in Montana. For Montanans you'll probably just think the East Coast is super strict. Now I have to warn you that I have not spent hours doing research for this blog and I am going strictly off what I have heard people say so anything could be wrong but at least I warned you.

It all started last week with a story assignment for work. A regional DUI task force meeting was being held in Butte. It was an all day long meeting so my news director took a peek at the agenda to see which topic would be the most interesting. He decided on the discussion about a social host ordinance. I then learned that nowhere in Montana currently has any social host laws. In case you don't know this pretty much makes the host responsible if they have a party and serve people alcohol. So if someone drinks alcohol at your house that you gave them then causes mayhem or harms someone else you could be responsible. Also, if parents give their kids and their friends alcohol the parents get in trouble. This as of right now does not exist in Montana. In fact at the meeting the presenter told the audience that it is LEGAL in Montana for parents to serve their children (under 21) alcohol "up to an intoxicating level." In court she said that level is argued as a .05. My reaction in my head was WHAT?!!! I'm pretty sure that is not legal in Pennsylvania. I'm also pretty sure PA does have a social host ordinance because my parents would never let my friends come over and drink alcohol when other peoples parents would. I distinctly remember them telling me they could lose their house for that. Unless my parents were just making up lies. So some teenagers here in Montana are now trying to get a bill through the state legislature that would allow county's to enact social host ordinances. The teens claim that it's very easy to just get alcohol from parents.

Also, another thing I learned at that meeting that is completely unrelated to drinking but was brought up somehow. The presenter was talking about a law that was recently passed that now makes it illegal for children to sit in the back of a pick up truck while the truck is in motion. Ok that's nice and safe and all but I've been told since I was less that 3 feet tall that it is illegal for ANYONE no matter their age to sit in the back of a pick up truck while it's in motion. Now again I have no idea if this is indeed the law or just what people told me growing up but if it is again it is different from Montana.

And I believe I have stated this one before but Butte has no open container law. You may walk around the streets of this town imbibing freely. No need to panic if a cop drives by and you are on the sidewalk enjoying a cold one. However, I know plenty of people in college who would attempt to walk around with an alcoholic beverage and were cited for it because that is just not legal in Maryland or Pennsylvania. I actually have no problem with this law though because if your friends want to go to another bar and you have a full drink, there's no need to chug it just take it with you. Even if it is in a glass take that glass with you. Chances are it's not even the bars glass and some other person brought it in from a different bar on a previous night.