Parents and Under Age Drinking
 |
Contact: Chief David Arbogast
Date:
Community Unites to Send
Message About Underage Drinking
Medina Township proclaims
May/June 2009 Don’t be a Party to Teenage Drinking
Program Description:
The Parents Who Host,
Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking public awareness
campaign was developed by Drug-Free Action Alliance in 2000. The
campaign objectives are to educate parents about the health and safety
risks of serving alcohol at teen house parties and to increase awareness
of and compliance with the Ohio Underage Drinking Laws.
The campaign takes
place on a local and a statewide level and concentrates on celebratory
times for youth: homecoming, holiday, prom and graduation seasons and
other times when underage drinking parties are prevalent.
Since the campaign
began it has been requested for replication in all 50 states,
Implementation
In order to facilitate
local support for the campaign, public awareness kits are disseminated
throughout
Partnerships
Mini-grants have been
given to local communities to promote the campaign. These communities in
turn partner with their schools, businesses and media in their local
area to increase the distribution of this important message. Funding has
also been used to increase law enforcement activities through compliance
checks and party patrols. On a statewide level, Drug-Free Action
Alliance partners with corporations to reproduce and disseminate
materials to their customers and employees. Participating corporations
include large manufacturers, grocery stores, convenience stores and
insurance companies.
Evaluation
Since the campaign
began in 2000, an independent evaluation by the
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There was a 32% increase among youth respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated that the campaign information led to a discussion between themselves and their parent about underage drinking. -
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There was a 33% increase among parent respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated that if other parents knew this campaign information it would keep them from hosting parties where alcohol is available or served.
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Funding
Drug-Free Action
Alliance is the sub-grantee from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Services for the grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Initiative
funds.
Contact
A Few Facts about
Underage Use of Alcohol
(Source: Parents Who Host, Lose The
Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking Evaluation Report, January
2007)
· 25% of teens indicated they have attended a party where alcohol is served to underage youth in the past two months, while parents thought the number was closer to 15%.
(Source: Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking Evaluation Report, January 2007)
· 12% of youth maintained that they drank alcohol at the party or they would have drunk if they had attended a party.
(Source: Parents Who Host, Lose The
Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking Evaluation Report, January
2007)
· 68% parents and 61% of teens said that it is generally easy for underage youth to get alcohol.
(Source: Parents Who Host, Lose The
Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking Evaluation Report, January
2007)
· Every day, 5,400 young people under 16 have their first drink of alcohol.
(Source: Center on Alcohol Marketing and
Youth with calculations from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
- Studies reveal that alcohol consumption by
adolescents results in brain damage - possibly permanent -and
impairs intellectual development.
(Source: Alcoholism:
Clinical and Experimental Research (Volume 24, Number 2 National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, February 2000)
- Underage drinking cost Ohioans $273 million in medical costs in 2005.
(Source: Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2006)
- Adolescents drink less and have fewer alcohol-related problems when their parents discipline them consistently and set clear expectations.
(Source: Hawkins
JD, Graham JW, Maguin E, et al. 1997 Exploring the effects of age of
alcohol use initiation and psychosocial risk factors on subsequent
alcohol misuse. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 58(3): 280-290)
- When drinking is delayed until age 21, a child’s risk of serious alcohol problems is decreased by 70 percent.
(Source: Calculated from information contained in: Grant BF,
4301.69
Offenses involving underage persons.
(A) Except as otherwise provided in
this chapter, no person shall sell beer or intoxicating liquor to an
underage person, shall buy beer or intoxicating liquor for an underage
person, or shall furnish it to an underage person, unless given by a
physician in the regular line of the physician’s practice or given for
established religious purposes or unless the underage person is
supervised by a parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal
guardian.
In proceedings before the liquor
control commission, no permit holder, or no employee or agent of a
permit holder, charged with a violation of this division shall be
charged, for the same offense, with a violation of division (A)(1) of
section 4301.22 of the Revised Code.
(B) No person who is the owner or
occupant of any public or private place shall knowingly allow any
underage person to remain in or on the place while possessing or
consuming beer or intoxicating liquor, unless the intoxicating liquor or
beer is given to the person possessing or consuming it by that person’s
parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian and the
parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian is
present at the time of the person’s possession or consumption of the
beer or intoxicating liquor.
An owner of a public or private
place is not liable for acts or omissions in violation of this division
that are committed by a lessee of that place, unless the owner
authorizes or acquiesces in the lessee’s acts or omissions.
(C) No person shall engage or use
accommodations at a hotel, inn, cabin, campground, or restaurant when
the person knows or has reason to know either of the following:
(1) That beer or intoxicating
liquor will be consumed by an underage person on the premises of the
accommodations that the person engages or uses, unless the person
engaging or using the accommodations is the spouse of the underage
person and is not an underage person, or is the parent or legal guardian
of all of the underage persons, who consume beer or intoxicating liquor
on the premises and that person is on the premises at all times when
beer or intoxicating liquor is being consumed by an underage person;
(2) That a drug of abuse will be
consumed on the premises of the accommodations by any person, except a
person who obtained the drug of abuse pursuant to a prescription issued
by a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs and has
the drug of abuse in the original container in which it was dispensed to
the person.
(D)(1) No person is required to
permit the engagement of accommodations at any hotel, inn, cabin, or
campground by an underage person or for an underage person, if the
person engaging the accommodations knows or has reason to know that the
underage person is intoxicated, or that the underage person possesses
any beer or intoxicating liquor and is not supervised by a parent,
spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian who is or will
be present at all times when the beer or intoxicating liquor is being
consumed by the underage person.
(2) No underage person shall
knowingly engage or attempt to engage accommodations at any hotel, inn,
cabin, or campground by presenting identification that falsely indicates
that the underage person is twenty-one years of age or older for the
purpose of violating this section.
(E)(1) No underage person shall
knowingly order, pay for, share the cost of, attempt to purchase,
possess, or consume any beer or intoxicating liquor in any public or
private place. No underage person shall knowingly be under the influence
of any beer or intoxicating liquor in any public place. The prohibitions
set forth in division (E)(1) of this section against an underage person
knowingly possessing, consuming, or being under the influence of any
beer or intoxicating liquor shall not apply if the underage person is
supervised by a parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal
guardian, or the beer or intoxicating liquor is given by a physician in
the regular line of the physician’s practice or given for established
religious purposes.
(2)(a) If a person is charged with
violating division (E)(1) of this section in a complaint filed under
section 2151.27 of the Revised Code, the court may order the child into
a diversion program specified by the court and hold the complaint in
abeyance pending successful completion of the diversion program. A child
is ineligible to enter into a diversion program under division (E)(2)(a)
of this section if the child previously has been diverted pursuant to
division (E)(2)(a) of this section. If the child completes the diversion
program to the satisfaction of the court, the court shall dismiss the
complaint and order the child’s record in the case sealed under sections
2151.356 to 2151.358 of the Revised Code. If the child fails to
satisfactorily complete the diversion program, the court shall proceed
with the complaint.
(b) If a person is charged in a
criminal complaint with violating division (E)(1) of this section,
section 2935.36 of the Revised Code shall apply to the offense, except
that a person is ineligible for diversion under that section if the
person previously has been diverted pursuant to division (E)(2)(a) or
(b) of this section. If the person completes the diversion program to
the satisfaction of the court, the court shall dismiss the complaint and
order the record in the case sealed under section 2953.52 of the Revised
Code. If the person fails to satisfactorily complete the diversion
program, the court shall proceed with the complaint.
(F) No parent, spouse who is not an
underage person, or legal guardian of a minor shall knowingly permit the
minor to violate this section or section 4301.63, 4301.633, or 4301.634
of the Revised Code.
(G) The operator of any hotel, inn,
cabin, or campground shall make the provisions of this section available
in writing to any person engaging or using accommodations at the hotel,
inn, cabin, or campground.
(H) As used in this section:
(1) “Drug of abuse” has the same
meaning as in section 3719.011 of the Revised Code.
(2) “Hotel” has the same meaning as
in section 3731.01 of the Revised Code.
(3) “Licensed health professional
authorized to prescribe drugs” and “prescription” have the same meanings
as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code.
(4) “Minor” means a person under
the age of eighteen years.
(5) “Underage person” means a
person under the age of twenty-one years.
Effective Date: 10-11-2002;
07-11-2006; 09-21-2006
Excerpts that pertain to 4301.69, with penalties
for other sections omitted.
(A) Whoever
violates section 4301.47, 4301.48, 4301.49, 4301.62, or 4301.70 or
division (B) of section 4301.691 [4301.69.1] of the Revised Code is
guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(C) Whoever
violates division (D) of section 4301.21, or section 4301.251
[4301.25.1], 4301.58, 4301.59, 4301.60, 4301.633 [4301.63.3], 4301.66,
4301.68, or 4301.74, division (B), (C), (D), (E)(1), or (F) of section
4301.69, or division (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), or (I) of section 4301.691
[4301.69.1] of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first
degree.
If an offender who
violates division (E)(1) of section 4301.69 of the Revised Code was
under the age of eighteen years at the time of the offense and the
offense occurred while the offender was the operator of or a passenger
in a motor vehicle, the court, in addition to any other penalties it
imposes upon the offender, shall suspend the offender's temporary
instruction permit or probationary driver's license for a period of not
less than six months and not more than one year. If the offender is
fifteen years and six months of age or older and has not been issued a
temporary instruction permit or probationary driver's license, the
offender shall not be eligible to be issued such a license or permit for
a period of six months. If the offender has not attained the age of
fifteen years and six months, the offender shall not be eligible to be
issued a temporary instruction permit until the offender attains the age
of sixteen years.
(I) Whoever
violates division (A) of section 4301.69 or division (H) of section
4301.691 [4301.69.1] of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor,
shall be fined not less than five hundred and not more than one thousand
dollars, and, in addition to the fine, may be imprisoned for a definite
term of not more than six months.
Parents play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol,
tobacco or other drugs. A recent national survey of parents and teens by
the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University found one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where
teens were drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, or using cocaine,
ecstasy or prescription drugs while a parent was present. By age 17,
nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where
parents were present.
Drug-Free Action Alliance has developed the Parents
Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking public
awareness campaign to provide you with information about the health
risks of underage drinking and the legal consequences of providing
alcohol to youth.
As a parent, you cannot give alcohol to your teen’s
friends under the age of 21 under any circumstance, even in your own
home, even with their parent’s permission. You also cannot
knowingly allow a person under 21, other than your own child, to remain
in your home or on your property while consuming or possessing alcohol.
There are legal consequences if you do. According to
Simply taking away the car keys does not solve all
of the problems related to underage drinking. Every day, at least
six youth under 21 die from non-driving alcohol-related causes, such as
drowning and suicide. Delinquent behaviors also increase with
underage drinking.
You can protect your children by following these guidelines when
hosting teen parties:
- Host safe, alcohol-free activities and events for youth during
prom and graduation season
- Refuse to supply alcohol to children or allow drinking in your
home or on your property
- Be at home when your teenager has a party
- Make sure your teenager’s friends do not bring alcohol into your
home
- Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol at youth
events
- Report underage drinking
Our youth deserve to live and grow to adulthood in
an environment where alcohol is not misused. Let’s be unified in
our message, and host alcohol-free parties with plenty of fun activities
to show our youth that we care about their future.
More information about the Parents Who Host, Lose
the Most program and Drug-Free Action Alliance is available at
www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.
Suggestions for Parents
If your teen is giving a party
·
Help your teenager plan the party. Make a guest list and
invite only a specific number of people.
- Have your child pass out or send invitations and try to avoid the “open party” situation.
- Don’t send e-mail invitations. They can be forwarded to a large number of people quickly and you lose control of who has this information.
- Put your phone number on the invitation and welcome calls from parents.
- Set rules ahead of time such as no alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Set a start and end time for the party.
- Let attendees know that if they leave, they can’t come back.
- Have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
- Plan some activities such as music, games, movies, etc.
- Let your neighbors know in advance there will be a party and that you will be there to supervise. Familiarize yourself with the noise ordinance in your area.
- Limit the party access to a certain area of the house/property.
- Have a plan for dealing with vehicles. Include parking information on your party invitation.
- Call parents of any teen who arrives in possession of alcohol or under the influence. If you can’t get in touch with the parents, keep the teen there or call the police if necessary. You can be civilly liable if you know they have been drinking and you let them leave.
- Secure all forms of alcohol, firearms and other potentially hazardous items in your home in a safe place.
- Familiarize yourself with you community’s noise ordinances.
- Make regular and unobtrusive visits to the party area with sensitivity to teens’ needs for privacy and independence.
- Invite some other parents to help chaperone if there will be a large number of teenagers.
When you’re away from home or out of town
- Set and communicate rules and standards to be followed in your absence.
- Do not allow underage youth to have unsupervised parties or gatherings.
- Remind them of their responsibilities and the consequences of their actions.
- Have a relative or responsible adult stay at your home during your absence, have your teenager stay with a responsible adult or ask a neighbor to watch the house and stop in while you are gone.
- If you are concerned that your child might
have a party anyway, you can call your local police and ask them to
drive by at some point over the time you are gone. Make it a point
to tell your child that you have asked the police to do this.
If your teen is attending a party
- Know where your child will be. Call the parent in charge to verify the occasion and location of the party and ensure there will be adult supervision.
- Ask how many teens are expected at the party and offer to help supervise or provide refreshments.
- Make certain that the host will not be serving or allowing alcohol. Ask how they plan to handle the situation if a teen shows up with alcohol or has been drinking.
- Indicate your expectations to your child and the parent hosting the party that if the teens leave and go somewhere else, you will want to know.
- Set a curfew for your teen to be home and when they arrive home, have them check in with you.
- Know how your child is getting to and from the party. Reinforce the message to your teenager that they should never allow someone who has been drinking or using other drugs to drive them anywhere.
- Assure your child that they can telephone you to be picked up whenever needed.
- If the activity seems inappropriate, express concern and keep
your child home.
Other ideas
- Get to know your children’s friends and their parents.
- Find out their policy on alcohol, drug and tobacco use.
- Remember, it is illegal to serve minors, or to knowingly allow a minor to have alcohol on your property.
- Encourage alcohol-free and drug-free parties
and activities for underage youth.
The Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking public awareness campaign was developed by Drug-Free Action Alliance in 2000.
The campaign objectives are to educate parents about the health and safety risks of serving alcohol at teen house parties and to increase awareness of and compliance with the Ohio Underage Drinking Laws.
The campaign has
been requested for replication in all 50 states,
Implementation in communities throughout
Ohio
§
Public awareness kits are developed and
disseminated throughout
§ On a statewide level, Drug-Free Action Alliance partners with corporations to reproduce and disseminate materials to their customers and employees.
§ Since 2001 mini-grants are given to local communities to promote the campaign to partner with their schools, businesses and media in their local area to increase the distribution of this important message.
Media to educate parents
§
15, 30 and 60 second radio ads are aired
in major markets in
§
A 30 second video entitled “The Big
Mistake” is aired each year on cable stations throughout
§
“The Big Mistake” is also aired on the
statewide cable stations, Ohio News Network and SportsTime
Evaluating the campaign
An independent evaluation by the
§
There was a 42% decrease among youth
respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated they know of parents who
host parties where alcohol is available or served to teens.
§ There was a 29% decrease among parent respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated they know of other parents who host parties where alcohol is available or served to teens.
§ There was a 32% increase among youth respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated the campaign information led to a discussion between themselves and their parent about underage drinking.
§ There was a 36% decrease among youth respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated that they had attended a party in the last two months where alcohol was served to youth.
§ There was a 33% increase among parent respondents from 2001 to 2006 who indicated if other parents knew this (campaign) information it would keep them from hosting parties where alcohol is available or served.
Media Tips
§
Know the media in your area: Ask yourself
who writes the local columns in the newspapers, which radio hosts
discuss local issues, what parents and teens read and who has covered
this issue before and which media personalities have a personal
connection to substance abuse.
These are some of the most important people for you to “pitch”
with a phone call.
§ Don’t leave multiple phone messages. Try someone repeatedly until you reach him or her directly, but only leave one message. Ask an operator or staff person when they are usually in and call then. Also find out if the media representative prefers to receive e-mail, and contact them that way as well.
Know the media – Select the outlet that reaches
the audience you want to reach
§ Arrange a radio or TV interview; call your local radio and TV stations to speak with the public affairs director or public affairs program host or producer.
§ Offer to provide a spokesperson to interview for their public affairs program who can discuss Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking and speak about your organization’s participation in the campaign. If your organization does not have a spokesperson, consider having someone from your board, a local expert allied with your group’s values or a youth serve as a spokesperson.
§ Keep in mind that some ideas work better for print versus television. Small publications are more likely to print your news release word-for-word and may incorporate photos you provide. They have limited staff and your offer to adapt the story and add local information may be greatly appreciated. Offering a statement from a local spokesperson can also be helpful.
§ Use your letterhead and follow the standard format for press releases and public service announcements.
o Always provide a contact at the top of all media materials, including e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers. Preferably use the name of the person making the phone calls.
Suggestions for Community Involvement:
Community
-
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Hold a kickoff with local dignitaries to promote the campaign
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Put campaign information in school newsletters from the principal or superintendent
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Mail fact cards to parents of high school juniors and seniors along with information about prom or graduation
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Mail letter to PTO/PTA with campaign information to other parents
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Pass out fact cards to parents and other adults during school functions
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Develop a pledge card for parents to sign committing to not host parties where alcohol is available to teens
-
Post a “thermometer” in a public space tracking the number of parents who have signed the pledge
-
Put campaign logo and information in school event programs such as choir, band or play
-
Place information on school website
Businesses:
- Place fact cards in local hotels to discourage teenage parties in hotel rooms
- Display campaign posters in local businesses for employees and customers
- Insert fact cards in employee paychecks
- Place campaign logo and information as ad in local papers
- Place campaign radio ad on local stations
- Use fact cards as bag stuffers at local businesses
- Place static cling stickers with campaign logo on beer coolers at groceries and convenience stores
- Have local pizza shops place fact card on each delivery box
- Place a preview slide with campaign logo and local law enforcement telephone number before movies at your local theater
Law Enforcement:
- Print local law enforcement number on materials to report parties
- Mail campaign information and how to report violations from local police chief or sheriff
- Increase monitoring of teen house parties during prom and graduation weekends
- Inform public that there will be an increase in monitoring teen house parties
Parents play a major role in their children’s choices
about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. In a recent national survey of
parents and teens by the
Drug-Free Action Alliance and Medina Township Police
Department are working together to bring the Parents Who Host, Lose The
Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking public awareness campaign to
Medina County to provide parents good information about the health risks
and the legal consequences of providing alcohol to youth. The campaign
encourages parents and the community to send a unified message at prom
and graduation time that teen alcohol consumption is not acceptable.
Hosting a prom or graduation party where alcohol is
available to underage youth is illegal and can pose serious health risks
and legal ramifications for everyone involved. Parents should understand
that taking away the car keys does not solve all of the problems related
to underage drinking. Every day at least six youth under 21 die from
non-driving alcohol-related causes, such as drowning and suicide; sexual
activity and delinquent behaviors also increase with underage drinking.
There are many heath-related consequences of youth consuming alcohol
including negative effects on brain development, deviant behavior
including stealing and skipping school and a greater risk of becoming
alcohol-dependant later in life.
Parents who knowingly allow a person under age 21 to remain on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and face a jail sentence, fines and loss of property.
Adults providing alcohol to underage youth send a mixed message and can only add to a teenager’s confusion about the acceptability of drinking. They are also sending the message to teens that they do not have to obey the law. Research shows that most teenagers appreciate it when their parents set boundaries and establish expectations that are fairly enforced. Our youth deserve to live and grow to adulthood in an environment where alcohol is not misused. Let’s be unified in our message, and host alcohol-free parties with plenty of fun activities to show our youth that we care about their future.
WHEREAS, adults who provide
alcohol to those below the legal drinking age of 21 are placing those
youth at risk for health, safety and legal problems, and
Parents Who Host, Lose The
Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking May/June 2009
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