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Teens become part of the solution to underage drinking problems

Judy Chu, ABC, youth groups highlight underage drinking prevention efforts

PASASENA – As the dog days of summer wane, instead of partying on the beach many teens and other young people are imparting a lesson in underage drinking prevention. They are banding together to send the message that they don’t want to see another drunken driving crash involving a young person or lose another friend to an alcohol-related incident.

With the collaboration from Board of Equalization member Judy Chu, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC) and the Los Angeles County Office of Public Health, young people from Los Angeles County are supporting underage drinking prevention efforts that can make a real difference in reducing youth access to alcohol. Despite the fact that most aren’t old enough to vote, these teens sent a petition to the Board of Equalization calling for the re-classification of alcopops, those sugary-sweet, fizzy mixed drinks in a bottle. The Board will vote on this issue on Aug. 14.

A press conference at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 8, at the Pasadena Central Library Auditorium, 285 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, will announce the collaboration between various state agencies in an effort to reduce youth access to alcohol and the problems of underage drinking. Young people from Los Angeles will honor Board of Equalization member Judy Chu. Also, the State Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control will highlight their new program that investigates the source of alcohol-related crashes when young people are involved.

As it is now, alcopops are marketed and sold as beer instead of distilled spirits, although they contain distilled alcohol. When re-classified, the ubiquitous beverages will no longer be readily available and cheap—key factors associated with underage drinking.

Additionally, the state ABC instituted a new program that traces back the source of alcohol in a car crash that involves underage drinking. Part of the solution to the growing epidemic of underage drinking is cutting off the booze at the source. With this new program, called TRACE, which stands for Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies, any car crash involving alcohol and a young person will be investigated to find the source of the alcohol. With this investigative tool, the ABC will hold adults and others accountable for providing alcohol to youth.

Through this multi-agency collaboration and young people from SPIRITT Family Services in South El Monte, Day One Pasadena and Girl Scouts of the greater Los Angeles area, a unified voice is saying enough is enough – stop marketing, selling or otherwise providing booze to underage minors. Former state Assemblywoman and now BOE member Judy Chu is supporting the effort to re-classify alcopops as distilled spirits.

These teens explained to me that alcopops are not soda pop. They talked about the popularity of these drinks with underage girls, and that these drinks even have the nickname of ‘cheerleader beer’ and ‘girlie beer,’ said Judy Chu, Board of Equalization member from District 4. Teens get fooled into thinking these drinks have less alcohol and are somehow OK to drink. As Californians, we have the ability to influence policy that could potentially save the lives of countless teens.

We are exposed to alcohol marketing nearly every day online in teen chat rooms, pop-up ads and personal Friend pages. Just look through MySpace and you can see the photos of what teens are drinking – alcopops, said Amber Woffard, 15, from Pioneer High School and SPIRITT Family Services. We’re uniting together as young adults and signing this petition calling on the Board of Equalization to tax alcopops as distilled spirits. This will help protect the health and safety of all California’s young people.

Recent reports from the Marin Institute indicate California’s youth consume 47 percent of all alcopops sold in California, which translates to a cost of $1.25 billion annually for the state in terms of lost productivity, harm and other negative consequences of underage drinking. Additionally, the report found alcopops were linked to 60 deaths every year.

Alcopops are very deceiving products that target young teenagers. What adult would purchase products that contain alcohol, but look like sodas, juices and even nail polish and shampoo? The marketing of these drinks makes me feel disappointed with the adults that make decisions about the world that we are living in, said Stephanie Casillas, 14, Pioneer High School and SPIRITT Family Services.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please call Michelle Blackston at 301-523-9921 or e-mail at . Youth group members along with law enforcement, community members, elected officials and public health advocates will be available for interviews at the event on Aug. 8.

More Background
Should the Board of Equalization tax alcopops and other beverages that contain distilled spirits as distilled spirits instead of beer, the state could collect more than $40 million per year in tax revenues. Beer is taxed at 20 cents a gallon where as distilled spirits are taxed at $3.30 a gallon. And if the drinks are classified as distilled spirits, then their advertising would be limited and only a limited number of stores would sell them.

In California, underage drinkers consume 12.4 percent of all alcohol sold in California, totaling $2.3 billion in sales. These sales provided profits of $1.1 billion to the alcohol industry. Underage drinking costs the state in excess of $7 billion annually. Besides the financial implications, the threats to public health and safety include alcohol-related youth violence and traffic crashes.

The California Coalition on Alcopops and Youth is a diverse, broad-based group of individuals and community-based organizations who have joined together to help contain the growing problem of underage drinking, in general and specifically alcopops. The Coalition is spearheading an advocacy campaign to raise the awareness of underage drinking with a focus on the role that alcohol advertising and marketing plays in contributing to the problem.

In partnership with Pasadena City College, Flintridge Foundation, City of Pasadena and the Youth Month Planning Committee Day One Youth Advocates, a local youth group committed to alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention education, will host a Youth Summit for their peers on Thursday, Aug. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Pasadena City College - Community Education Center.
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Youths Petition to Combat Underage Drinking