Watchdog Offers Solutions to Community Alcohol Problems

San Rafael, CA - The Marin Institute, an alcohol industry and policy watchdog, is calling for a nationwide, community-based response to our country's underage drinking epidemic in light of two polls released today by the American Medical Association.

By revealing "...how underage youth obtain alcohol, as well as how easily and often," the AMA's findings highlight the need for parents, physicians, policy makers and businesses to help create community conditions that prevent youth access to alcohol.

"The alcohol industry spends billions of dollars marketing its products to young people, but puts the responsibility on parents to keep alcohol from kids," said Mark Pertschuk, executive director of the Marin Institute. "The industry's prevention programs are mostly PR ploys. Telling kids not to drink, or asking parents to do their part, isn't enough. We need a comprehensive, community-based approach to address underage drinking."

"It's time to change community norms about youth drinking, limit access through local policies and responsible beverage service, reduce youth exposure to marketing messages that glamorize drinking, and consistently enforce underage drinking laws," said Pertschuk.

This type of comprehensive, community-based approach has proven effective and was recommended by the National Academy of Sciences in it's 2003 landmark report "Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility."

Examples of effective solutions and successful local efforts include:

• Responsible Beverage Service
  A coalition in Grand Prairie, Texas is training local retail establishments how to consistently enforce laws covering the sales and service of alcohol as part of a Responsible Beverage Service campaign launched during the Super Bowl.

• Rejecting Irresponsible Alcohol Marketing
  The San Diego Youth Council is focusing media attention on local stores and major alcohol producers that target youth with advertising and products that appeal to young people. In San Diego and nationwide, youth and adults are using Talk Back, Marin Institute's Web-based consumer complaint system, to send letters of protest to alcohol companies and the Federal Trade Commission.

• Engaging Youth in Prevention Efforts
  Teens at the Youth Leadership Institute in Marin County, California conducted studies showing that young people can easily get alcohol from local stores, which often fail to ask for ID or place alcohol near youth-friendly items where it's easier to steal. Young people there are working with adult allies including the Sheriff's Department and the Board of Supervisors to change local policies and increase enforcement activities to reduce youth access to alcohol.

• Holding Adults Accountable for Providing Alcohol
  An increasing number of cities and states are enacting and enforcing laws that hold adults financially and legally liable for hosting underage drinking parties. New Hampshire's "Buyer's Beware" campaign is using state-wide advertising to remind adults that hosting a party where underage drinking occurs can result in fines of $2,000 and a year in jail.

The Marin Institute's new action guide, "Solutions to Community Alcohol Problems: A Roadmap for Environmental Prevention," highlights successful local efforts like these and offers a practical menu of concrete steps communities can take to reduce underage drinking.

The Marin Institute is an alcohol industry watchdog and resource for solutions to community alcohol problems.