Maine Criminal Justice Academy Liquor Laws: Train-the-Trainer Event June 14-15, 2004

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Maine Criminal Justice AcademyLiquor Laws
Train-the-Trainer EventJune 14-15, 2004

• Becca Matusovich
• Prevention Specialist
• Maine Office of Substance Abuse

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Underage Drinking in Maine

• Why should we care? The scope of the problem
• Underage access to alcohol
• Parent perceptions
• Common Myths
• Enforcement as a prevention tool
• Support for enforcement

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Underage Drinking

• Why should we care?The Scope of the Problem in
  Maine

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Alcohol is the leading drug of choice among Maine
youth

Source 2002 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use
Survey
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Not just law enforcements problem

• All members of Maines communities should be
  concerned about underage and high-risk drinking
• Health Safety Risks
• Academic/educational impacts
• Secondhand Effects
• Legal Issues

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Why is underage drinking a problem?

• Kids who begin drinking by age 15 are 4x more
  likely to develop alcohol abuse/dependence than
  those who wait until age 21- the risk drops for
  every year that initial alcohol use is delayed
  (40 before age 15 to 10 after age 21)
• With as little as one drink, alcohol impairs
  normal brain function in adolescents more than
  adults each episode of heavy drinking among
  adolescents and young adults can result in
  impaired learning/ memory function for up to 2
  weeks

Note sources for this information are available
on the Medical Impact page of the Office of
Substance Abuse Parent Kit
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Why is underage drinking a problem?

• Alcohol-related traffic crashes are the leading
  cause of death and disability among youth
• Alcohol is a major factor in all of the other
  leading causes of death and injury among youth
• homicide, suicide, burns, drownings, and falls
• Alcohol use has been strongly linked to
  depression, sexually transmitted diseases, and
  date rape and other criminal behavior (both as
  perpetrator and as victim)

Note sources for this information are available
on the Medical Impact page of the Office of
Substance Abuse Parent Kit
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Long-term health risks

• A number of long-term health risks are associated
  with drinking above moderate levels (new FDA
  Dietary Guidelines for Americans define moderate
  to be no more than 1 drink per day for women, 2
  drinks per day for men)
• Most obvious alcohol-related health risk
  addiction
• Several shorter-term effects of regular heavy
  drinking (especially at younger ages) are
  self-reinforcing and can propel the drinker
  toward the trigger point for physical
  dependence/addiction
• State-dependent learning
• Increase in tolerance
• Social dependence (group relies on alcohol for
  social functioning)
• Psychological dependence (individual relies on
  alcohol for social functioning)

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• State-dependent
• learning cycle

Use alcohol in social situations
This is particularly relevant for adolescents,
who are learning and practicing a lot of new
social skills!
Learn/practice social skills while under the
influence
Can only access skills developed under the
influence when under the influence
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Second-hand EffectsConsider the impact on other
youth (the silent majority)

• Most youth dont drink at all or drink very
  little and infrequently, but those who drink most
  frequently often do so at high risk levels and it
  is this minority that causes most of the
  problems.
• This minority can sometimes dominate the social
  environment and seem more visible than those
  students who are actually making healthier choices

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Maine Statistics
Average across grades 9-12, MYDAUS 2002
No drinking in lifetime 30
Non-current drinker (reported drinking in lifetime, but not in past 30 days) 29
Current non-binge drinker (reported drinking in past 30 days, but had not had 5 drinks in a row in past 2 weeks) 18
Current binge drinker (reported drinking 5 drinks in a row on at least one occasion in past 2 weeks) 23
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Prevalence of behavioral problems (in the past
year) among Maine 12th graders by drinking
category
Source 2000 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use
Survey, Office of Substance Abuse (BDS)
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But we all share the burden Costs of
Alcohol-related Crime in Maine

• In 2000
• There were 473 deaths in Maine directly caused
  by or attributable to alcohol abuse, including 46
  deaths in alcohol-related car crashes.
• These early deaths resulted in an estimated 9,033
  years of potential life lost.
• Approximately 2,280 arrests were made for
  assaults (aggravated, sexual, and other) that
  were directly related to alcohol abuse about
  30 of the total assaults for that year.
• Alcohol-related crime in Maine is estimated to
  have cost a total of 49.1 million (enforcement,
  judicial, corrections, property destruction, and
  victims lost productivity costs).

Source OSA, The Economic Costs of Alcohol and
Drug Abuse in Maine, 2000
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It doesnt need to be just about the magic age
of 21

• There are lots of
• places
• times
• situations

• where/when it is
• illegal
• inappropriate
• unhealthy
• unsafe

for people to drink (or to drink too much) even
if they are over age 21
Be clear about the goal to reduce and prevent
problems
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We need to increase perceptions of personal
risk, not just general risk

• Otherwise our silence supports their belief that
  its not really all that risky and that we are
  just trying to keep them from having any fun
• The law exists for a reason
• Its not just about the headline tragedies

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Underage Access to Alcohol in Maine
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Underage Access to Alcohol
MYDAUS Results (average across grades 6-12) 2000 2002
If you wanted to get some beer, wine or hard liquor, how easy would it be for you to get some? ( answering sort of easy or very easy) 58.3 52.7
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DEEP Survey of OUI offenders under age 21 (2000)

• 90 of respondents were between 18 and 20
  (one-third were college students)
• 62 said it is very easy and 24 said it is
  sort of easy to get alcohol
• Key point
• Ease of access demonstrated a statistically
  significant relationship with both frequent and
  heavy drinking

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On your most recent drinking occasion, how did
you get the alcohol (check all that apply)?
Friend/acquaintance over 21 75
Sibling or relative over 21 20
Bought it myself (without fake ID) 14
Friend/acquaintance under 21 12
Stranger bought it for me 9
From home with permission 8
From home without permission 5
Bought it myself (with a fake ID) 3
Stole it from a store 2
Source DEEP Access to Alcohol Survey, 2000
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Source DEEP Access to Alcohol Survey, 2000
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Context on most recent drinking occasion
Source DEEP Access to Alcohol Survey, 2000
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It is possible to reduce furnishing with
strategic enforcement and education

• Evaluation results from 4 HEAPP campus
  initiatives (2001-2003) which included reduced
  furnishing as an objective of the grant
  activities
• At the 4 schools involved, 2003 students were
• 33.4 more likely to say it was highly likely
  that they would face legal and/or disciplinary
  consequences for providing alcohol to minor
• 32.3 less likely to say they had provided
  alcohol to someone under age 21 in the past 2
  weeks

Source OSA, Evaluation of Maines Higher
Education Alcohol Prevention Project
(HEAPP) Summary of pre-test (2001) and post-test
(2003) Core Survey data
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Other Resources

• Sticker Shock Campaign
• For stickers and posters to distribute to local
  licensees, call OSA IRC at 1-800-499-0027

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Parent Perceptions
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OSA Parent Media Campaign started January 2003,
still going

• Goal Reduce alcohol use by Maine teenagers by
  increasing the use of effective parenting
  techniques
• Target Parents of 8-12th graders, specifically
  those who understand the basics of effective
  parenting, but may not be implementing those
  strategies consistently when it comes to
  preventing alcohol use

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The research shows that Maine parents

• are very concerned about underage drinking
  alcohol was by far their 1 concern out of all
  substances
• vastly underestimate the likelihood that their
  own kid is drinking
• vastly overestimate the likelihood that they
  would catch their kid if he/she was drinking
• overestimate how honest their kids are being with
  them about their alcohol choices
• value the open and trusting relationship they
  have with their kids and find it difficult to
  challenge their kids based on suspicions

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Do you really know?
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What does this mean for enforcement? A critical
opportunity to break a dangerous pattern

• A violation may be a wake-up call for both a teen
  and their parents in some cases it may be the
  only chance they get to open their eyes before it
  is too late
• Most parents will appreciate being informed and
  having the opportunity to intervene before their
  child is too far along in their use (although
  they may not express it)

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Other resources for working with parents

• www.maineparents.net
• Order Parent Kits and other materials from OSA
  IRC (1-800-499-0027)
• Power Point Presentation for Parents is available
  (on CD-Rom, or email rebecca.matusovich_at_maine.gov)
  

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Common Myths
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Myth The minimum legal drinking age doesnt
work

• Reality It does work, in spite of inconsistent
  enforcement
• Many studies have found that drinking among 18-20
  year olds increased with the lowered drinking age
  and decreased when the drinking age was raised
  to 21.
• The latest review of all the research available
  concludes
• The preponderance of the evidence suggests that
  higher legal
• drinking ages reduce alcohol consumption
• The majority of studies on the relationship
  between the drinking age and traffic crashes
  found that traffic crashes increased
  significantly with the lowered drinking age and
  decreased significantly when the drinking age was
  raised to 21.

Source Wagenaar A. and Toomey, T. Effects of the
Minimum Drinking Age Laws Review and Analyses of
the Literature from 1960 to 2000. Journal of
Studies on Alcohol (Supplement No. 14) 2002.
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Myth the U.S. would not have such problems if we
lowered our drinking age like Europe

• Reality
• Recent research shows that in a majority of
  European countries, a greater percentage of 15-16
  year olds report drinking to excess (5 drinks in
  a row) than U.S. 15-16 year olds
• About half of the European countries have
  intoxication rates among 15-16 yr olds that are
  greater than in the U.S. (1/4 are about the same,
  and1/4 are lower)
• Some European countries are exploring some of our
  strategies, including higher minimum drinking
  ages, for reducing high-risk drinking
• Many factors influence drinking patterns and
  related problems across Europe and the U.S.,
  including government policies, tax rates, retail
  availability, religious/cultural values,
  advertising regulations, driving norms, and
  social acceptability of intoxication.

Source US Dept of Justice, Comparison of
Drinking Rates and Problems European Countries
and the United States, 2001.
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Enforcement as a Prevention Strategy
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Why Enforcement as a Prevention Strategy?

• We need to broaden our focus from simply
  educating individual youth to changing the
  environment
• Individual decisions are not made in a vacuum
• The alcohol industry spends more than 1
  billion/year to shape the environment in which
  our drinking decisions are made and to manipulate
  peoples beliefs about what alcohol will do for
  them
• Drinkingfun Drinkingsex
• Drinkingpopularity Drinkingsports
• Drinkingnormal Responsible drinkingnot driving

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Some Keys to Enforcement as a Prevention
Strategy

• Stay focused on the outcome reducing problems
• Think proactively and creatively how to prevent
  future problems rather than how to catch the most
  people breaking the law
• This isnt about good kids or bad kids it
  is about high-risk choices that are often
  encouraged by the environment that surrounds all
  our kids
• Its not just about the kids hold adults
  accountable for the law as well

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Effective enforcementA powerful prevention tool
when it is used to

• Reduce underage access (by deterring
  furnishing/sales and confiscating alcohol before
  it gets consumed)
• Clearly communicate a communitys standards for
  acceptable behavior and provide meaningful
  consequences for violating these standards
• Focus on preventing high-risk behavior and take
  advantage of opportunities to intervene in
  harmful patterns of behavior
• Increase individuals understanding of their own
  risk by expressing specific personal concern
  for high-risk behavior
• Engage parents as critical partners in
  influencing their childrens choices and empower
  them to address the problem directly and
  constructively with their kids

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Youre not in this alone

• Enforcement should be part of a comprehensive
  community approach not the only strategy, but
  an essential piece
• Without enforcement, no plan to address underage
  drinking will be as effective as it could be

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Other Underage Drinking Initiatives Good
potential partners

• HEAPP (9 campus-community coalitions and
  statewide initiative)
• http//www.maine.gov/bds/osa/prevention/highered/
  index.htm
• One Maine (23 community coalitions)
• http//www.oneme.org
• Maine Youth Voices (19 groups)
• http//www.neias.org/MYV/
• Youth Empowerment and Policy Group
• http//www.neias.org/YEP/
• Statewide Compliance Checks (OSA, AGs Office,
  DPS)
• Hopefully restarting in early 2005
• Maine Chiefs/Justice Planning and Management
  Associates
• Online course on underage drinking enforcement
  in development, to be launched sometime in fall
  2004
• And many others

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Support for Enforcement
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Good news you may find youth are more supportive
of change than you expect
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Support for enforcement in Maine

• The HEAPP Evaluation (2001-2003) found that
• After substantial increases in enforcement effort
  on and around the participating campuses, survey
  results indicated that students were 66 MORE
  likely in 2003 to support disciplinary
  consequences for students who repeatedly violated
  campus alcohol policies (compared to 2001 survey
  results)

Source OSA, Evaluation of Maines Higher
Education Alcohol Prevention Project
(HEAPP) Summary of pre-test (2001) and post-test
(2003) Core Survey data
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And parents too
Strengthening enforcement of existing laws that ban supplying alcohol to minors 81
Strengthen enforcement of existing laws on underage drinking 75
Increase undercover compliance checks of retailers who sell alcohol 67
Regulate advertising to make drinking less appealing to youth 67
Use revenues from alcohol taxes to fund prevention treatment programs 62
Create stronger laws to address underage drinking 52
Increase tax on alcohol 34

• Enforcement of existing laws was the top choice
  for parents when asked which strategies for
  addressing underage drinking they support

Source Maine Parents Views on Teen Use of
Alcohol and Tobacco, 2002 (random sample, N4,122)
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If youre asking, aside from just giving out
citations, what else can I do?

• Whenever you encounter or suspect underage
  drinking, express concern
• Be watchful for students who appear to be
  suffering from alcohol-related problems refer
  them for help
• Dont underestimate the damage caused by alcohol
  remember that the media and alcohol industry
  deliberately skew our perceptions in order to
  reap huge profits. Work to balance these
  influences on young peoples environments
• Contact parents whenever possible see each
  incident as an opportunity to break a dangerous
  pattern

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What can I do? continued

• Model and help young people learn ways to have
  fun and socialize without drinking
• Support youth who dont drink avoid undermining
  their decisions by implying that everybody else
  drinks
• Know the definition of moderate drinking
  correct students misunderstandings of that term
• Dont joke about, brag about, or model drinking
  heavier than the moderate guidelines when
  students do so, express concern (laughing or
  silence implies approval)
• Skip the When I was your age stories unless
  they have a clear message

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Wed like to help support your regional trainings

• See contact list of people in your region who are
  willing to partner with you and possibly to
  present this portion of the curriculum when you
  deliver your regional training for other officers

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Thanks for your hard work!

• Let me know if I can help Rebecca.matusovich_at_main
  e.gov
• 287-6415