For Immediate Release
For Further Information Contact: Rhonda Ramsey Molina, Project Director SAGA Coalition
Phone: 513-509-6209
email: rmolina@sagacoalition.org
Campaign Targets Teens and Adults Who Provide Alcohol to Minors
Anderson Township – December8, 2006 - The SAGA Coalition in partnership with Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson Township Safe Communities, Forest Hills School District, the Parent Communication Network, and members of the community, announce the holiday launch of the “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most”: Don’t Be a Party To Teenage Drinking campaign. This campaign is the latest in zero tolerance enforcement of underage drinking laws that targets parents and teens that furnish alcohol to minors.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, a person commits an offense if they purchase an alcoholic beverage for, or gives, or with criminal negligence makes available an alcoholic beverage to a minor. An offense under this provision is a First Degree Misdemeanor, and is punishable by a fine up to $1000; confinement in jail for a term up to six months; or both.
“We hope to reduce the overall numbers of underage drinkers by placing more criminal responsibility on those who host the parties. Additionally we want to emphasize that teens can be charged with providing alcohol to other teens. This campaign is intended to hold accountable both the youth and adults in the community who host parties where alcohol is provided to minors.« Lt. Mike Hartzler, District 5, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department.
Anderson Township , Juvenile Magistrate Tina Ernst reminds us, “A juvenile who is adjudicated on an alcohol related charge can be subject to significant legal consequences including a driver's license suspension and completion of an alcohol abuse education or treatment program approved by the court. Additional consequences could include placing the juvenile in the court detention facility, placing them on probation, on electronic monitoring or house arrest. They could also be ordered to complete work detail or community service and pay fines and court costs.”
The fact is that parents who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
Parents who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
- Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and everything associated with such a violation can be confiscated, including personal property.
- Parents can be sued if they give alcohol to anyone under 21 and they in turn hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.
Parents can protect themselves and their teens by following these guidelines when hosting parties for their children:
- Host safe, alcohol-free activities and events for youth this holiday 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
“Too often parents look the other way when it comes to teen drinking, assuming it is a ‘rite of passage’. It is not unusual for well meaning parents to provide alcohol to their teen’s friends at home parties. We want to educate parents that providing alcohol to teens other than their own children is illegal and dangerous for our youth,” says SAGA President, Cheryl Lett.
Dottie Scott, Traffic Safety Coordinator for Anderson Township reminds us, “Another key issue is the safety of our youthful drivers. Taking the keys is not enough to prevent alcohol related injuries and fatalities. Adults in our communities need to provide a consistent message to our youth that driving or not, alcohol is a dangerous drug for the adolescent body.” The consequences of alcohol in the young body are many. Surveys of adolescents suggest that alcohol use is associated with risky sexual behavior and increased vulnerability to coercive sexual activity. Young drinkers are more likely to fall prey to other types of risky behavior and victimization.
Research compiled by the AMA reveals just how harmful drinking is to the developing adolescent brain and serves as a wakeup call to parents, physicians, elected officials, law enforcement, purveyors of alcohol – including the alcohol industry – and young drinkers themselves . In Anderson , t he average age of a child’s first drink is now 13, and by senior year in high school, nearly 50% are regular drinkers (having drank in the past 30 days). While many believe that underage drinking is an inevitable "rite of passage" that adolescents can easily recover from because their bodies are more resilient, the opposite is true.
Some parents breathe a sign of relief when they find their child is "just" drinking alcohol and not using drugs, but it is a myth that alcohol is a "better" drug. Alcohol abuse, drunk driving, and alcohol-related diseases take a major toll on our society, and children who begin drinking at a young age are at much higher risk of developing problems. According to a report in the Journal of Substance Abuse, more than 40% of individuals who start drinking around age of 13 will develop alcohol abuse problems later in life.
The “Parents Who Host” campaign will commence as teens begin this year’s winter break and continue through prom and graduation season in the spring. For more information about this campaign and other prevention efforts in the Anderson Community, log onto the SAGA website at www.sagacoalition.org.
# # #
The Substance Awareness Greater Anderson (SAGA) Coalition is a group of committed community members whose mission is to unite the Greater Anderson community in acknowledging, taking responsibility for, and preventing the use of illegal drugs-as well as the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
