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Underage Drinking Laws Enforcement Training Center - November 2006 Resource Alert

State Spotlight: The Oregon Partnership The Oregon Partnership was essential in a recent grassroots campaign to have a nationwide department store remove T-shirts sold in its "Back to School" section. The T-shirts were emblazoned with logos normalizing the use of alcohol. The CEO of the department store contacted the Oregon Partnership via letter stating that the T-shirts would be removed and were clearly not appropriate for the intended customers, who would most likely be under the legal drinking age. For more information, go to the news article.

New Research on Alcohol Use & the Developing Brain Padget, A., Bell, M. L., Shamblen, S. R., & Ringwalt, C. L. (2006). "Does learning about the effects of alcohol on the developing brain affect children's alcohol use?" Prevention Science, 7(3), 293-302. Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM) is a classroom-based, alcohol-use prevention and vehicle safety program for students in grades 1-5 developed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). PY/PM is one of the first alcohol prevention programs targeting children, which incorporates emerging research on the adverse effects of alcohol on the developing brain. Results indicate that, relative to comparison students from matched schools, PY/PM students increased their knowledge of the effects of alcohol on the developing brain, their perception of the potential harm of alcohol use, and their vehicle safety skills. They also exhibited increased negative attitudes toward underage drinking, strengthened their intentions not to use alcohol, and reported decreased riding with impaired drivers. Teaching children about the effects of alcohol on the developing brain appears to be a promising strategy for underage alcohol use prevention.

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Success Story: Montana’s Multi-jurisdictional Approach Reveals Increase in Compliance Checks In July 2005, using funds awarded from the MT Board of Crime Control, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office established a multi-jurisdictional Alcohol Enforcement Team (AET). The AET selected officers from various agencies to participate in specific strategies that target alcohol accessibility and availability to persons younger than 21. Throughout the year, the team has been aggressive in conducting more than 200 Compliance Checks. Since its implementation, the overall compliance rate improved from 40 to 70%. This month’s Success story shares the accomplishments of the AET and the effective results from the community’s involvement. Click on the Resource Alert Link below to see the full text of this Success Story.

Success Story: Rhode Island’s Social Host Law Follows the Lead of Neighbor States Rhode Island joins more than 20 States with Social Host laws. Any adult in RI "who knowingly permits persons under 21 to consume alcohol in his/her home faces escalating penalties with repeat offenses." The law closes a loophole that officials said had made it virtually impossible to bring charges against adults who knowingly permit underage drinking. This month’s Success story shares the positive results of persistence in the attainment of a successful goal. Click on the Resource Alert Link below to see the full text of this Success Story.

November National Electronic Seminar Governors’ Spouses Address Underage Drinking Date: Thursday, November 16 Time: 3:00-4:15 p.m. eastern Speakers: Mary Easley, First Lady of North Carolina, and Hope Taft, First Lady of Ohio The Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a unique coalition of Governor's spouses, Federal Agencies and public and private organizations, is an initiative to prevent the use of alcohol by children ages 9 to 15. It is the only national effort that focuses on alcohol use in this age group. Presenters for this call will discuss the work of the initiative and how people can get involved. Click on the National Electronic Seminars button on the left to register for this month's audio conference and see a calendar of the rest of the year's National Electronic Seminars.

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December 7, 2006 

STOP ACT PASSES BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS

 The bill for the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Underage Drinking Act) (HR 864) passed the U.S. Senate last night and the U.S. House of Representatives this morning. The Center for Science in the Public Interest press release states “Passage of the STOP Act represents a long-overdue acknowledgement of the need to do more as a nation to address the harm caused by underage drinking.” The STOP Act is more modest in scope than some of its supporters would have liked, however, it provides an additional $18 million per year for essential prevention purposes, including the seeds of a national media campaign to reduce underage drinking

MAINE FIRST LADY AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ATTEND FORUM

 The Lincoln County News reports that Maine’s First Lady Karen Baldacci and Attorney General Steven Rowe attended a forum last week with Lincoln county residents to discuss the growing underage drinking problem in the county and the State. The aim of the forum was to inspire a community-wide effort to work on the problem.Participants learned that 15 percent of county students in grades 6-8 use alcohol compared with 12.9 percent statewide. Mrs. Baldacci and Mr. Rowe said the solution must be a community effort to be successful, and must include parents. They appealed to the participants on a personal level as parents. Mrs. Baldacci said “It’s not enough to tell them we don’t want them to drink. Make it (alcohol) difficult to access in the home. Get involved with other parents. Pay attention to where your child is and make them stick to the rules.” Mr. Rowe discussed the media messages that target underage youths and portray drinking as glamorous, noting that girls prefer flavored malt beverages, and boys beer. A followup meeting is planned in January.

OHIO FIRST LADY TESTIFIES ON BEHALF OF UPPL REPEAL

 This week, a bill was introduced in the Ohio Senate to repeal the State’s Uniform Accident Policy Provisional Law (UPPL). First Lady Hope Taft provided testimony in favor of the bill (SB #395), saying that the law, enacted in 1953, does not reflect current knowledge about either addiction or the effectiveness of alcohol interventions. She stated “In 2006, we know a lot more about addictions and ‘what works.’ We know it is a disease like diabetes or hypertension. We know treatment is effective, we know that brief interventions work in reducing use and negative consequences. We know the UPPL laws are counterproductive.” The UPPL allows health insurance companies to deny claims involving alcohol or narcotics use, whereas at the same time the companies must approve claims for similar situations such as trauma caused by not wearing a helmet, not using seatbelts, obesity, or smoking. Ms. Taft then discussed the benefits of brief alcohol interventions, including cost savings and effectiveness in reducing subsequent alcohol use. She reviewed the consequences of UPPL laws—to discourage trauma centers from asking key questions about a patient’s alcohol or drug use and providing brief interventions, because insurance companies will deny payment for services. Furthermore, under this system, impaired drivers escape from responsibility for their actions. She said a brief intervention helps people recognize the link between their substance abuse and the injuries that brought them to the emergency room. She concluded, “I urge you to vote for SB #395 to reduce stigma, save money, turn lives around, delete redundancy, and eliminate the “safe haven” for impaired drivers. Ohio needs to join other states in repealing their expensive, outdated, obsolete, counterproductive, and discriminatory UPPL laws. It’s a win-win for everyone—trauma centers, insurance companies, taxpayers, and the injured.”

PEDIATRICIANS CRITICIZE ADVERTISING EFFECTS ON CHILDREN

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a new policy statement this week in response to the pervasive, inappropriate advertising aimed at children, according to a CNN report. The statement says alcohol, cigarette, and junk food ads may contribute significantly to childhood and adolescent alcohol and cigarette use, obesity, and poor nutrition. The statement cites television, internet, and magazine advertising, and even ads placed within schools. The academy calls on doctors to ask Congress and Federal agencies to restrict alcohol ads to showing only the product, not cartoon characters or attractive young women; ban junk food ads during shows geared to young children; limit commercial advertising to no more than 6 minutes per hour, a decrease of 50 percent; and prohibit interactive advertising to children on digital TV. The academy notes that several Western countries, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Greece, limit ads directed at children. The policy statement concludes that educating children and teenagers about the effects of advertising could help mitigate the harmful influence of alcohol, cigarette, and food ads. Dr. Victor Strasburger, lead author and an adolescent medicine specialist at the University of New Mexico, said in the CNN report, “What kind of society exploits its children and teenagers for money? This is an example of where public health really has to trump capitalism.” The policy statement appears in the December Pediatrics (Vol. 118, pp. 2563-2569). 

MARINE CORPS SURVEY SHOWS LINK BETWEEN EARLY USE AND RISKY DRINKING

Young men age 18 to 20 are significantly more likely to be risky drinkers if they start drinking alcohol at a young age, according to results of a large survey of Marine Corps recruits. A press release states that other risk factors for drinking problems include growing up in a household with alcohol abuse, tobacco use, and having a small or rural hometown. The researchers studied the association between childhood experiences and risky underage drinking in 41,482 male Marine recruits ages 18 to 20. All the men completed the Recruit Assessment Program questionnaire between June 2002 and April 2006, providing demographic and other personal information and answering questions designed to detect risky drinking. A total of 14.8 percent of the recruits were identified as risky drinkers, 45.1 percent as non-risky drinkers, and 40.2 percent as nondrinkers. Among drinkers, those who began drinking at age 13 or younger were 5.5 times as likely to be identified as risky drinkers. Risky drinkers were more likely than either non-risky drinkers or non-drinkers to be smokers, be from a rural or small hometown, to have experienced childhood sexual or emotional abuse, and to have a household member who had a drinking problem or mental illness. Lead author Sylvia Young of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego and colleagues conducted the study, which appears in the December Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (Vol. 160, pp. 1207-1214).

NASPA STRATEGIES CONFERENCE IS FEBRUARY 1-3, 2007

The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) is convening a conference on alcohol abuse prevention on February 1-3, 2007. The conference will bring together senior campus administrators, prevention and education staff, and researchers from the alcohol and other drug field to focus on sharing information and advancing knowledge about alcohol and other drug use at colleges and universities. Invited speakers include Ralph Hingson of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),William DeJong of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, an NIAAA panel of Rapid Response Grantees, Robert Carothers, President of the University of Rhode Island, and Larry Mazzeno, President Emeritus of Alvernia College. Noted prevention researchers and specialists will lead the conference workshops. For more information and to register online, visit the NASPA conference Web page.

CADCA LEADERSHIP FORUM IS FEBRUARY 12-17, 2007

The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will hold its National Leadership Forum XVII on February 12 through 17, 2007, in Washington, DC. The Forum, with the theme “Coalitions: The Road to Results,” is a training conference for community coalition activists and substance abuse professionals, and features more than 75 workshops. The registration deadline is January 26. Registering by December 11 enters the registrant in a drawing to win a digital camera or other prizes such as CADCA logo gear. Registrations received by December 29 are discounted. To register, go to the CADCA Web site.

HALF OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, TEENS START DRINKING BY AGE 13  

In Oakland, a 2006 report titled “Oakland on the Rocks” states that 21.2 percent of Oakland high school students had their first drink by age 11, and 50.7 percent by age 13. The November 28 San Francisco Chronicle says the report is based on a survey conducted by the Alameda County Public Health Department and the organization Environmental Prevention in Communities. The study also found that more youths are using alcohol to self-medicate stress, because it feels good, or because of peer pressure. In addition, 41 percent of youths have ridden in a car with a drunk driver. City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel has asked that the City Council’s Public Safety Committee forward recommendations from the report to the full Council. She called for better enforcement against merchants who sell alcohol to minors as well as increased efforts to urge adults to keep children from drinking. She hopes the Council will support the launch of an awareness campaign directed at adults, as well as direct funds to programs that highlight the dangers of drug and alcohol use. She stated, “We have to help young people realize the wear and tear alcohol has on their bodies.”

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, DRAFTS SOCIAL HOST ORDINANCE

The Palo Alto Daily News says the city is drafting a social host ordinance making it a misdemeanor to serve alcohol at gatherings where a certain number of minors are present. The city is responding to a series of incidents over the past several years in which intoxicated teens were found drinking under parental supervision. The Palo Alto police department recently hosted a forum for parents, at which panelists representing the legal, health, and education fields expressed their concerns that parents trying to teach moderate drinking may not be aware of the dangers alcohol poses to teens. Dr. David Gregg, a trauma surgeon at Stanford Hospital, said “Biologically, brains aren’t ready for alcohol until probably age 24. Laws reflect biological reality.”

MADISON, CONNECTICUT, SURVEY RESULTS TO SPUR PREVENTION PROGRAMS

An anonymous survey of Madison’s 7th- to 12th-graders reveals that in the previous month, 30 percent of the students used alcohol, 18 percent had been drunk, and 11 percent had used marijuana. As reported in the New Haven Register, 17 percent of the students who use alcohol do so at home with their parents’ knowledge. In contrast, of those students reporting drug use, only 1 percent do so at home with their parents’ knowledge. The survey was developed by the Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute, which concluded from the data that about one out of five Madison public school students in grades 7 to 12 are “moderately” or “highly” alcohol or other drug involved. The data will be used as a baseline in planning local prevention programs, and an interagency steering committee will develop a preliminary action plan by the end of June.

IDAHO PROGRAM TRAINS BARTENDERS

Boise police are conducting a pilot program to decrease both underage drinking and excess service of alcohol at local bars, clubs, and restaurants. The program aims to develop effective training for servers, bartenders, and doormen. The first training class was held last week at a comedy club in downtown Boise. Local comedians certified as trainers helped facilitate the free class. Funding for the program was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections and several other local businesses and organizations sponsored the first class. For more information, see a KTRV-TV news report.

NEBRASKA COUNTIES ARGUE FOR NEW ALCOPOP CLASSIFICATION

County commissioners across Nebraska are signing a resolution to reclassify flavored alcohol beverages (alcopops) as distilled spirits, according to an article in the McCook Daily Gazette. Currently, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission designates alcopops as beer. The beer designation allows the alcohol industry to receive tax breaks. Starting in 2004, the liquor commission classified alcopops as distilled spirits, but reclassified them as beer in July 2006. The resolution supports the “Project Extra Mile: Underage Drinking Prevention Project” originated by Douglas County Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson. Commissioner Borgeson expresses concern in the article that classifying alcopops as beer allows the alcohol industry to reach more young people through television advertising. In addition, the beer classification increases alcopops’ availability to young people because beer products can be sold at 1,535 off-premise locations in the State whereas spirits can be sold at 718 off-premise locations.

NEW JERSEY TOWN CONSIDERS DRINKING PARTY ORDINANCE 

The West Milford Messenger reports that the town is considering an ordinance that would allow better control of underage drinking parties. The ordinance would give police the right to enter private property and arrest minors in possession of, or consuming, alcohol. If convicted, a youth would receive a $250 fine for a first offense and $350 for a subsequent offense. In addition, the judge can suspend the youth’s driver’s license or postpone driving privileges for 6 months. The law, however, does not allow police to intervene if the minor is consuming alcohol in the presence of and with the permission of a parent, guardian, or relative of legal drinking age. The council is expected to pass the ordinance at its next meeting.

NORTH CAROLINA IMPROVES COMPLIANCE RATE

According to the Asheville Citizen Times, the North Carolina Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement reports that the State’s alcohol compliance rates have steadily improved over the past several years. The latest report is that this year’s spot checks were successful a little more than 1.5 times out of 10 in buying alcohol, a compliance rate of 16.5 percent. During 2003-04, undercover teens were successful 28.3 percent of the time and in 2004-05, 27.6 percent of the time. The Federal government requires a 20 percent compliance rate. Police attribute the improvement to aggressive training and enforcement efforts. Clerks who sell alcohol to minors face a misdemeanor charge and, if convicted, they may not work in a place that sells alcohol for 2 years. In many cases, the clerk is fired. Retailers are cited and face a fine. The State has been using the Training, Regulation, Education and Enforcement (TREE) method to enforce compliance. One program is called Be A Responsible Seller (BARS) and is offered to owners and employees of stores with liquor licenses. BARS teaches how to spot underage and intoxicated people, how to properly check IDs, and how to tactfully refuse sales and service to people who are drunk.

Note: The links to news articles provided in the Weekly Update are accessible and free of charge on the Update’s publication date.

The links may expire, and retrieval from an archive may require a fee. Past Weekly Updates can be accessed at: http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/.