Bootleggin'

Last week a fourteen year old Hamilton boy was rushed to hospital via ambulance because of alcohol poisoning. Understand that any alcohol is poisonous to the body. This is widely recognized because ingestion of this substance leads white men to think they can dance, and makes you think you are funnier and more attractive than you really are.

Drinking too much alcohol too fast can be in fact lethal, and the young lad taken to hospital is very lucky to be alive. How did this boy get the booze? Not in the traditional manner of teenagers of past ages (pinching it from mom and dad), no no no. He called Hamilton Cab and asked for it. He and his buddies gave their order, gave an address they didn't live at and told the dispatcher they would wait at the curb for the cab. When the cabbie arrived, he handed over the booze without checking for ID and drove off. Another cab driver from Blue Line was done in this weekend for the same thing on a police sting operation.

Here's how it works. The customer calls the cab company and makes the order (case of Bud for instance), the cabbie goes to the beer store, buys the beer and delivers it to you. The cost is usually at least twice as much as if you had gone yourself. Here's the thing though, it's illegal. There are companies that are licensed to deliver booze, but no cab company in Hamilton as a license. There are rules to legal companies. For instance they can't deliver after the beer and liquor stores have closed, they can't give to minors or to the intoxicated.

I have in the past used the bootleg service ( I know, I know) but I used it when I was over 19. The one time I used it the cabbie did check for ID and I never used it again (WAAY to expensive). The problem a cabbie will tell you is that if they don't sell the booze, they are out of pocket and they don't profit. A good bootleg night will make more in a night than a cabbie can make in a week, and it's under the table.

So what's the solution? Even if dispatchers stop the practice every cabbie has a cell phone. Most even encourage customers to call them on their cell phones to avoid the dispatcher and therefore make it an under the table transaction. So I don't know what the ultimate solution is.

Most times the police are too busy with assaults, drugs, and other such crimes to be too concerned. Something should be done but I'll be damned if I can figure out what. As long as there are teens with money, there will be cabs with booze.

Incidentally, I linked the cab companies web sites above so that if you want to voice your displeasure at their practice, you can find contact info there.

Bye for now.