Underage drinking, CDLs, cannabis and open containers
A 3-minute lesson from the Minnesota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Minnesota has zero tolerance for underage drinking and driving, strict rules for commercial drivers, and clear limits on where alcohol and cannabis may be kept in a vehicle.
Know the rule
The legal age to buy and drink alcohol in Minnesota is 21. It's illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with any detectable amount of alcohol.
A commercial driver with a detectable level under 0.04 is put out of service for 24 hours. An offense in a hazmat-placarded vehicle means losing the CDL for at least three years; a second offense means losing it permanently, as does using a commercial vehicle for a drug felony. CDL holders arrested for DWI in a passenger vehicle get no commercial work permit during the withdrawal.
It's illegal to drive under the influence of a cannabis product, lower-potency hemp edible, hemp-derived consumer product, artificially derived cannabinoid or THC.
You may not drink or have an open container of any alcoholic beverage inside a vehicle on a public street or highway, and it's unlawful to let a passenger drink or have one.
After a party, you have an opened bag of hemp gummies. Put it in the trunk before driving — not the glove box or utility compartment, and not in your passenger's lap.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Under Minnesota's no-tolerance rule, how much alcohol can a driver under 21 legally have in their system while driving?
Up to 0.02 percent
Up to 0.04 percent
Up to 0.08 percent, same as adults
None — any detectable amount is illegal
Answer: None — any detectable amount is illegal
Drivers under 21 may not have any detectable amount of alcohol in their system while driving.