While working a boring shift as a server the other day, I started thinking about weird laws in the state of Georgia, where I've lived my entire life. I work as a server at a restaurant in Atlanta, so I started thinking about the fact that some of my friends who are 18 years old are working at bars and serving alcohol. I sometimes serve wine and beer to people meeting for business and awkward first dates, and they always ask me my opinion on the drinks that I give them. Unfortunately, I have to inform them that I personally know nothing about what I serve them, because I still can't legally drink them! I've researched some laws in Georgia that are a little different than laws in other states, and I've complied them into a list for your enjoyment!
1. You are legally allowed to make a will when you're 14.
Very few states have this law in place, including Georgia. In other states, the minimum age to draft wills is 18 years old. In my opinion, I think it's great that Georgia allows people to make wills that early on, because you're never too young to have assets or inheritance!
2. You can be a bartender at 18.
Few states, including Georgia, also have this law in effect. If you live in Georgia, you can legally serve alcohol as a restaurant server and you can work as a bartender if you're at least 18 years old! Unfortunately, most of these places still only hire over 21, and you still have to be over 21 to purchase alcohol. So if you're under 21 and you want to be a bartender in Georgia, sorry! You'll still have to wait to drink.
3. You cannot keep an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays.
Okay, bear with me on this one. This is one of those weird laws that was placed in effect a long time ago and was never reversed. Some criminals would use ice cream cones to steal horses by putting a cone in their pocket and leading the horse away, so Georgia decided to draft this law. Of course, this law is very outdated and should probably be thrown out, but come on! Who would want to put an ice cream cone in their back pocket anyway? (Well, except if you're trying to steal a pony.)
4. You can get married at 16 in Georgia, but only if you're pregnant.
In Georgia, you can be married at 16 if you have the consent of your parents. However, according to the state's marriage laws, you can get married at 16 in the event of a pregnancy or the birth of a child. Don't get any bad ideas from this!
5. You cannot possess any amount of marijuana, but Atlanta is (kind of) an exception.
Possessing marijuana is a punishable offense by over $1000 in fines and/or jail time in Georgia. However, in Atlanta, marijuana is decriminalized, so if you are found with under an ounce of marijuana on your person at any time, you will receive a citation of $75. This is where it gets weird. If you are caught with marijuana by any police department except for Atlanta PD, you will still be charged with a misdemeanor possession offense, even if you're still in the city of Atlanta. Confusing, right? Marijuana is still not fully legal anywhere in Georgia, so be careful about what you carry!
6. You cannot clean a donkey in a bathtub.
This is another outdated law that I added for giggles, however, this one just confuses me. I don't know why this law was put in effect or what happened that caused people to be unable to clean their donkey in a tub, even though I don't know who would want to do that anyway. What went wrong? Who knows? Who cares? Just don't put a donkey in your bathtub or you'll probably be arrested.
7. You cannot wear a hat in a movie theater.
Yes! Thank you Georgia! It's a good thing that people aren't allowed to ruin a movie for others by wearing a big ole' hat in the front row and blocking the screen. However, I'm not sure if this applies to all hats or just the big ones. Like, can you wear a baseball cap in a theatre without getting in trouble? What about a beret? Someone try this and let me know if you get kicked out.
Okay, so it got a little strange at the end there, but a weird law is a law nonetheless! If you have any weird laws that I forgot on this list, let me know! And of course, don't break the law (even the weird ones!)
