Question: Your post this morning about the DUI lawsuit in Bonner county prompts me to ask a question. Are bartenders licensed? I know the bars require licensure but do those people who dispense liquor in drinks...are they required to be licensed??? Reason I ask is that all kinds of service professions require licensure. Hair cutters require a license to coif the coif. Seems as though a bartender who literally serves poison in palatable and safe doses should also be trained in its hazards and skilled in "drunk people" management. So can anyone tell me if bartenders are state monitored thru licensure and if not why not??? -- Dave Tolle

DFO: Just got off the phone with the Alcohol Beverage Control in Boise. Bartenders aren't required to obtain a license to serve drinks nor are they required to obtain training to recognize problem drinkers. However, the state does provide training for establistments that ask for it and recommends that barkeeps be trained.

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