Bill to curb birthday binge benders | News

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Lindsay Ledford says her 21 birthday is a forgettable blur. "Very sick. I was very sick that night. I was hanging out the car door. When I opened the door my husband said, ‘Are you ready to go?’ I said no and threw up!"

Lindsay is not alone, excessive drinking is a common practice for freshly turned 21 year olds.

But State Representative Cory Williams is hoping to crack down.

When the clock strikes midnight, some new 21 year olds race to the liquor store or bar for their first legal taste of alcohol.

But under House Bill 3100, there would be a seven-hour waiting period. 

Rep. Williams hopes that would curb binge drinking and alcohol poisoning on campuses like the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

The legislation would keep new 21 year olds from overindulging from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. when most bars stop serving.       

According to bartender Amanda Gorbert, "I could see where it's a good idea because of the binge drinking for two hours."

But at O'connell's on Campus Corner in Norman, the staff is already trained to look for signs of intoxication and cut them off.    

An editorial in the OU's campus paper reads, "Legislators should be seeking effective solutions, not poorly thought out Band-Aids" to binge drinking. 

With an estimated 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning in the U.S. every year, some believe this legislation is a matter of life and death.

Right now HB 3100 is in committee. 

Officials say it's too early to tell if or when it will be introduced before the full legislature.