Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Massachusettes Adults Say 'No' to Buying Alcohol for Youth

Boston Globe

 
A series of shoulder tap surveys conducted in Somerville yielded encouraging results about the adult community's willingness to buy alcohol for minors. Of the 56 individuals surveyed, only one person agreed to purchase alcohol for a minor, the city announced on Monday.

The surveys were conducted at random by members of Somerville Positive Forces 100 and Teens Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse, subgroups of Somerville Cares About Prevention. Youth volunteers worked with the Somerville Police Department and local liquor retailers on the campain, which is run annually as part of a citywide effort to raise awareness of the minimum drinking age and encourage alcohol rehab in Massachusettes.

"If we want to reduce underage drinking, one thing we need to do is reduce youth access to alcohol," said SPF youth leader Anthony Soto, 17. "Shoulder taps engage youth in addressing this problem, and we really enjoy getting out there to talk to adults in our community."

In addition to shoulder taps, youth volunteers conduct annual sticker  campaigns and compliance checks at local businesses licensed to sell alcohol. This year's round of compliance checks began in March and will be completed in July.

Although this year's shoulder tap surveys were positive, youth volunteers had some ideas for improving the program in the future. Youth leader Deepika Bhargo suggested asking participants if they were familiar with the repercussions of providing alcoholic beverages to minors. Currently, adults can face arrest, six months to a year in prison, and up to $2,000 in fines, she said.

"I think this will provide insight on how much adults in Somerville already know about the underage drinking laws," she said.

No comments:

Post a Comment