MADISON, Wis. -- Making fake identification cards could become a cottage industry with the raising of the legal drinking age Monday from 19 to 21 in Wisconsin, one of the nation's top beer-drinking states.
The total impact of the new law will not be felt immediately because of a grandfather provision allowing people who are 19 or 20 by Sept. 1 to continue drinking alcoholic beverages.
Lawmakers raised the age after being told Wisconsin would become an island for young drinkers surrounded by states that have a drinking age of 21.
Gov. Anthony Earl at first sided with opponents of the higher age but shifted his allegiance, partially because of a threatened loss of about $12.5 million annually in federal highway money if Wisconsin did not raise the age limit.
Limiting alcohol sales is difficult for Wisconsin, which is among the topfive states in beer consumption and where residents drink the most brandy nationwide.
Wisconsin taverns stand to lose about $160 million annually in beer and liquor sales once the law is phased in completely, said James Boullion, a spokesman for the Tavern League of Wisconsin.
He said on-premise sales currently total $1.2 billion annually.
He said 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds constitute 5 percent of Wisconsin's adult population but consume 15 percent to 20 percent of the alcohol served in taverns.
The 'Pro-21' coalition, which included Mothers Against Drunk Driving and law enforcement officials of Wisconsin cities along state borders, mounted an intense lobbying effort to raise the age to eliminate drunken driving accidents.
An equally vociferous campaign was waged by 'Stop 21' forces that primarily consisted of tavern owners and college students.
John Sidoff, the owner of Houligan's and Century Hall, two popular watering holes near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said he has already noticed a huge increase in the use of altered or fake identification cards.
'We're catching people right and left, but some are so good, I'd defy the police to say whether they're real or not,' he said.
In fact, he has asked Milwaukee police for copies of out-of-state IDs to help his bouncers.
'If I wanted to make a lot of money, I'd go into the cottage industry of making fake IDs,' Sidoff said.
Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty, located one block from UW-Madison, called the new law ridiculous. He has expanded his kitchen and food selections to make up for anticipated lost drinking sales.
'It's ironic, in my opinion, that an 18-year-old can serve on a jury involving a drunk driver but not be allowed to drink themselves,' Shapiro said.
Many young people in the Minneapolis area traditionally travel across the Mississippi River to Hudson, Wis., so they can drink legally.
'It's going to hurt business,' said Mark Tracy, owner of The Powerhouse in Hudson. 'It's pretty tough to counteract the law. I don't want to change everything, though, because I don't want to affect the (older) customers I do have.'
Tracy, as a member of the Hudson City Council, tried to dissuade city leaders from supporting 21.
'The people who pushed so hard are going to find out it's not going to work. There will be lot of problems with young people drinking illegally,' he said.
UW-Madison fraternities and dormitories are making changes to prevent violations.
'We'll have to be much stricter as to who we let in at parties,' said Phi Delta Theta member Eric Dresselhuys, 21. 'We'll now hire bouncers, we'll check UW and state IDs and we'll have color-coded stamps.'
