While some minors may use fake identification to illegally acquire alcohol, others have discovered using their computers to purchase it over the Internet.

Recently, debates arose in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the issue of minors ordering alcoholic products online using credit card transactions, according to ABC News. Discussion included the accessibility of alcohol vs. the enterprises of micro-breweries and vineyards.

“This is a federal issue because this involves regulating interstate commerce,” said State Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames.

She said similar issues have surfaced in the past.

“There has already been Supreme Court rulings due to the First Amendment dealing with pornography on the Internet,” she said.

Beer and wine makers sometimes have difficulty marketing their unique or specific products, and the Internet can be a vital outlet for sales, said State Rep. Cecelia Burnett, D-Ames.

“It can become a problem if the companies don’t do the checking to see if the purchaser is underage or simply don’t care to know [in order] to make more money,” she said.

Iowa currently has a state law allowing the direct shipment of wine. However, 38 other states prohibit any direct shipment or prohibit shipment of alcohol altogether.

“It is the shipper’s responsibility [not the deliverer’s] to determine the age of the recipient and comply with state and federal regulations,” said Jess Bunn, spokesperson for Federal Express.

Burnett also said deliverers should not be held responsible for knowing which customers are of legal age.

“If anyone is breaking the law, it is the companies and not the messengers,” she said.

Hammond said she feels responsibility for the issue doesn’t rest solely on companies or government intervention.

“Parents have responsibility, too, especially if they are the holders of the credit cards,” she said. “The parents should check the mail, and if they provide access to the Internet, they need to watch what is happening.”