If you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol, please visit Your Life Iowa or you can call (855) 581-8111 or text (855) 895-8398

I'm not here to sell anyone drinking alcohol when they are underage. Does it happen every day? Sure it does. I don't want to glorify underage drinking and I'm not suggesting parents allow their kids to crack open a 6 pack when they get home from school every day.

Drinking heavily can be dangerous, addicting, and lead to copious amounts of health problems. If you want to let your kid try the taste of beer, you could always let them try drinking NA beers. Barring any strange allergies, anyone in Iowa can safely and legally drink NAs or 0.5% beer. Those are not considered alcoholic beverages by the FDA. NAs have the same amount of alcohol content as many normal fruit juices and energy drinks.

If you're sitting in the backyard enjoying a bonfire with the family, it's a Friday night and the sun is going down, and your kid wants to have a beer with you, can you legally give them one in the state of Iowa? Iowa and many other states might have more relaxed drinking laws than you thought.

In the U.S., no one under 21 can drink, which seems like a standard answer for everyone. What many people may not realize is that there are a few exceptions for minors when it comes to drinking and each state has a bit more control over underage drinking than most people believe.

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You're out of luck if you're under 21 and want to drink at a bar or restaurant. You can't legally drink anywhere in the U.S. at either of those locations. If you had a tough time with your chemistry final and you're a senior in high school...you'll have to find another way to cope rather than visiting your local dive bar. Most people would agree this is probably for the best.

When Can Someone Under 21 Legally Drink?

Suppose you're under 21 years old and you're on private property or at a private residence, AND you are under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. In that case, you're legally allowed to have a beer with mom or dad, according to Iowa Crime Lawyer.

You can't make a quick run into town or down the street to the nearest liquor store and purchase alcohol if you're under 21. Mom or Dad will have to run that errand. But if you are in their presence and at your house or on your family's private property, they can hand you a Busch light.

If the parent or guardian leaves the house or property, at any point, those who are under 21 will have to go back to pop.

Iowa isn't the only state like this either. According to Alcohol Problems and Solutions; Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Deleware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusets, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Portland, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming all have various laws that allow drinking under 21 years old, under certain circumstances.