Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol
If we do no more than
pepper kids with anti-drinking messages, things are not
likely to get any better.
- Richard J Bonnie, Chair
Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and prevent
Underage Drinking
Underage
drinking can not be successfully addressed by focusing on
youth alone. Greater attention must be given to
environments in which drinking takes place, and the
circumstances in which adults drink.
- National Academies of
Science Report to Congress on Preventing Underage
Drinking
PRIDE is working to change the environment in our
community. PRIDE's vision is a community with a unified
voice that says underage drinking is illegal, dangerous,
and will not be tolerated.
Through partnerships with law enforcement, parents,
community leaders, and others, PRIDE is working to promote
an environment that doesn't allow youth under 21 to drink.
Current
Strategies PRIDE is working on
Open
House Party Law/Social Host Law
Currently, Louisiana doesn't have a law that specifically
addresses parents allowing youth (other than their own) to
drink. Most teens report that they drink at a friend's
house, usually during a party. Current laws prohibit adults
providing alcohol to youth. Law Enforcement is sometimes
not able to arrest adults at a party where youth have
alcohol unless they can prove that the adults provided the
alcohol to youth. This new law would allow law enforcement
to arrest a party host if they should have reasonably known
that youth under 21 were drinking alcohol.
Enforcement
of Existing Laws
PRIDE is working with law enforcement agencies to increase
enforcement of Louisiana's laws about underage drinking.
PRIDE students will be going to shift change meetings to
encourage officers to take a strong stand against underage
drinking, including arresting youth who possess alcohol,
parents who provide alcohol, and stores that sell alcohol
to youth.
Currently, youth who are arrested for possession of alcohol
in Louisiana are subject to a $100 fne, 6 months in jail,
and losing their driver's license for 6 months.
Alcohol
Advertising and Promotion
There are very few restrictions on when and where alcohol
companies are allowed to advertise and what events they are
allowed to sponsor. Many concerts, festivals, and events
held in St. Tammany and Washington Parishes are geared
toward youth, however, the main sponsor is sometimes an
alcohol company. A group of youth from PRIDE are working to
assist stores and event organizers with eliminating or
reducing alcohol sponsorship at places frequented by youth.
The effect of advertising on children is well-documented.
A USA Today survey found that teens say alcohol ads have
greater
influence on the desire to drink in general than the desire
to buy a
particular brand.
A study of children ages nine to 11 found that children
were more
familiar with Budweiser's television frogs than Kellogg's
Tony the
Tiger, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, or Smokey the
Bear
To learn more about alcohol advertising and its effects on
youth, visit The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at
www.camy.org
Media
and Public Information Campaigns
PRIDE is implementing focused campaigns to educate the
community about the dangers of underage drinking and the
importance of preventing youth from obtaining alcohol.
Radio ads, newspaper articles and ads, direct mail to
parents, ads in movie theaters, and community meetings are
among the methods PRIDE is using to get the word out about
underage drinking.