For years, activist groups, law enforcement and civic leaders have tried to stop the flood of underage drinking by focusing on the dangers of drinking and driving, and the health risks, including brain damage, alcoholism and risky behavior that can lead to injury or death.
Now they are taking the message to parents: You can be fined, or even sued, for providing alcohol to your children and their friends.
At the conference on youth drinking in downtown Baltimore this week, national leaders will talk about how to cut down on these drinking parties through education and enforcement, according to information provided by the sponsor, Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.
“Ultimately, this is about reducing underage drinking and the harm caused by underage drinking. But a lot of the behavior and decisions involved are about adult behavior,” said James Copple, senior policy analystwith PIRE Communications.
Alcohol is the No. 1 drug of choice for young people, killing more than six times as many children as all other drugs combined and costing the nation nearly $62 million each year in medical costs, according to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
