Boise, March 9, 2012 - The next
time you make a purchase at an Idaho State Liquor Store in Boise or
Garden City,
you'll be part of the newest campaign to prevent underage
drinking. The campaign is sponsored by Drug Free Idaho, Boise and
Garden City Police.
Officers hope the messagesticks.
High school students spent dozens of
volunteer and community service hours this week placing bright
white and red stickers on the brown paper bags customers use to
carry their purchases from liquor stores. The stickers boldly
remind adults it is illegal to provide alcohol to minors and doing
so carries a $500 fine and possible jail time.
"It's the responsibility of all of us to
keep our young people safe," said Marianne King, Executive Director
of Drug Free Idaho. "Alcohol use by teens is known to cause car
crashes, injuries and other dangers that can drastically alter an
otherwise bright future. We want to prevent that in our
community."
The patch and badges for Boise and
Garden City Police are also on the posters, emphasizing that law
enforcement is looking for those who fail to heed the message of
prevention.
"There's one big reason we invest a lot
of time into enforcing Idaho laws that prevent underage drinking -
it's dangerous," said Boise Police Neighborhood Contact Officer
Jermaine Galloway. "Sometimes we find adults with a casual attitude
about providing alcohol to kids. That attitude would change quickly
if those people could respond with us to accidents and other cases
where a young person is hurt and alcohol was a factor. You can't
help but think, if alcohol wasn't involved, maybe the kid would be
okay instead of heading to the hospital.. or worse."
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The stickers were
designed by students at Boise State University and printed
at a local business. BSU students also designed several other
posters and clings currently hanging on beer coolers, doors and
windows of dozens of local convenience stores. Those posters also
remind adults it's illegal to buy teens alcohol. See the
news released issued by Boise Police May 10, 2011.
Dangers of teen alcohol
use: A study sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission and
published at www.dontserveteens.govshows
teens don't just drink, they drink to excess. More than 8 percent
of eighth graders, 16 percent of sophomores, and 24 percent of
seniors report recent binge drinking (5+ drinks on the same
occasion). Statistics show that the majority of current teen
drinkers got drunk in the previous month. That includes 50 percent
of the high school sophomores who drink and 65 percent of the high
school seniors who drink.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General,
about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage
drinking - from crashes, homicides, and suicides. Teens that drink
also are at risk for a long list of other injuries and potential
life-long alcohol abuse. Reducing underage drinking can reduce
drinking-related harm.
Car crashes are the leading cause of
death among people ages 15 to 20. About 1,900 people under 21 die
every year from car crashes involving underage drinking. Young
people are more susceptible to alcohol-induced impairment of their
driving skills. Drinking drivers aged 16 to 20 are twice as
likely to be involved in a fatal crash as drinking drivers who are
21 or older.
Grant funding makes this
ongoing campaign possible. Drug Free Idaho has received a federal
grant from Drug Free Communities for $125,000. Drug Free Idaho has
partnered with Boise and Garden City Police and Boise State
University to prevent one of the biggest threats to young people's
safety - alcohol abuse.
Call Crime Stoppers: Boise
Police and Drug Free Idaho encourage citizens who know of places
who serve or sell alcohol to minors to contact Crime Stoppers.
Boise Police will follow up on citizen tips. You can contact Crime
Stoppers at 343-COPS, or log onto www.343cops.com, or text CRIMES
or 274637, subject: Tip236.
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