Virginia has laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol to intoxicated persons or persons under 21. Oftefn young, inexperienced individuals are hired to act as servers of alcohol and expected to fulfill the legal mandates of the Virginia Code without the benefit of any real training on how to effectively do that. There are several research tested training programs that equip servers with tools to identify possible violations and to deal with those situations effectively without escalating confrontations or offending customers.

It is clearly in the best interest of everyone to equip those who are directly responsible with the best skills possible to reduce harm while promoting the best business practices. Virginia is not only a pro business Commonwealth; it wouis also about promoting "Virginia's Best" businesses that set the highest professional standards.

The state with the lowest rate of underage drinking, Tennessee, actually licenses the individual server who must complete a formal course of training before receiving a license to work as an alcohol server. This provides a great incentive for the server to guard against any violations that could lead to a revocation of thier license to make a living in that field.

Mandated server training represents a giant step in the right direction.