18 year olds are anything but minor

Richard Ziegler

Composition 1022 Section 15, Group 2

Brian Lewis

February 8, 2010

“18 year olds are anything but minor”

“The detention of hundreds of concertgoers in Foxborough over the weekend was part of a planned crackdown on underage drinking at the sold-out show, police and stadium officials said. More than 250 state and local police were deployed at the New England Country Music Festival. The show of force resulted in what some law enforcement officials said was the largest number of arrests at Gillette Stadium in years (Abel).” Looking at the general principle of alcohol consumption in America, our tolerance as of today is pretty well defined: absolutely no liquor under the age of 21. Alcohol consumption technically falls in the same class as cigarette smoking, more or less considering that the benefits of drinking a beer tend to be much smaller than the consequences attached. Both activities are potentially harmful to your health, alcohol is definitely stronger of the two (drinking and driving has the potential to greatly increase deaths). Then again, second hand smoking is enough of a problem that state legislatures are spending lots of money and time on smoking bans. Referring back to the concertgoers in Foxborough, Law enforcement funds are increasingly being spent on hunting down minor alcohol consumption. Another scenario where police are using force in order to crack-down on minors is in Boston Massachusetts. A store in Newton Corner faces citations that could jeopardize its liquor license after about 90 minors, including 50 with fake IDs, attempted to buy alcohol over the holiday weekend, state officials said following an investigation. The minors were found in possession of, transporting, or attempting to purchase alcohol. Officials confiscated 45 cases of beer, 41 bottles of other types of alcoholic beverages, and five beer balls, or minikegs (Rocheleau). None of the underage shoppers were charged. Their parents were contacted from the liquor store parking lot as part of the state's notification program. "There is no doubt that these operations save lives and prevent tragedies before they happen," Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who oversees the commission, said in a news release (Rocheleau).” In many instances, they have a good case. Drunk driving is a very serious treat, and lowering the drinking age has the potential to make this problem ten-fold worse. Of the over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips estimated that Americans took in 2002, over ten percent (18 million trips) were made by 18-20 year olds (Kyran). But looking at the two examples of law enforcement intervention, are these searches/ seizures a reasonable use of taxpayer dollars?

Let’s take a look at another state where underage drinking is a problem, but the change here is that officials in Iowa are looking to erase minor charges. The Iowa City police wrote 818 citations for possession of alcohol under the legal age in the first 11 months of 2009. Since 2004, the department has cited between 879 and 1,697 18 -- to 21-year-odds for Purchasing alcohol under the legal age, according to department records (Lynch). "There's still the financial punishment, so that's a disincentive," said Shipley, a senior who was ticketed for underage drinking his first week at the UI. "I was just standing in a bar trying to rush a frat and got a $300 ticket." "There are too many people coming out of school with criminal records," Shipley said. "A lot of people think police resources could be better allocated." The proposed change recognizes the "consequences of a strict prohibitionist policy," he said (Lynch). Iowa is a good example of a state where an increasing number of 18 year olds are consuming alcoholic beverages.

Comparing the legal-abiding nature of the New England police to the open natured attitude of Iowa politicians, a question can be drawn about how law enforcement handles minor consumption: is it really worth the energy? We have long editorialized that these sting operations do not go to the heart of the problem but are merely feel-good exercises that rarely accomplish much, if anything. Often, in the past, the targets have been high-end restaurants and popular eateries where underage drinking is simply not an issue. If our police and our social service agencies really want to make a difference, why don't they target the places where they know underage drinking is taking place on a recurring basis (North Adams)? Why don't they go undercover and root out the criminals (often parents) who are procuring alcohol in great quantities for minors? Best yet, why don't they put more resources into educating teens -- and especially their parents -- about the myriad dangers of booze (North Adams)? A place where the attention for alcohol consumption actually focuses on the root level described above, is in Stockholm Sweden. It seems that in Stockholm, a balance has been observed in adolescent alcohol consumption. In Stockholm, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a community alcohol prevention program on the frequency of alcohol service to young adults at licensed premises around the city. At baseline in 1996, the adolescents made 600 attempts to order. At follow-up in 1998, the number of attempts to order was 252, and at the second follow-up in 2001, the adolescents made 238 attempts (Wallin, Eva). Overall, the frequency of alcohol service to adolescents on licensed premises in these areas of Stockholm decreased significantly over time, from 45 to 41 and to 32%, in 1996, 1998, and 2001, respectively. One explanation for this improvement could be more effective enforcement of existing alcohol laws in both the intervention and control areas. We also found that licensed premises that used doormen to screen potential customers were less likely to sell to minors (Wallin, Eva). This study took place with adolescents/minors in Sweden, which would entail any individual under the age of 18 years. Looking at both Iowa’s change of heart, and Stockholm’s screening tactics, it seems like a balance on both law enforcement and alcohol consumption can be struck on this issue.

So coming to the bottom of the bottle, there seems to be a case for both sides. At one end, drinking is all ready harmful enough as stands, but with an increasing number of minors in the United States consuming alcohol at the age of 18 and up, it would seem reasonable that the age should be lowered. Instead of spending energy on busting bar-owners, or shutting down entire concerts, safe alcohol practices can be established before mental development is fully attained. Now this is not to say that every 18 year old is suited to drink, and should be able to skate free: it’s important that they abide by the same laws that 21 year olds face when using alcohol. Spending our tax payer dollars on alcohol awareness / proper accommodations for minors is a great way to help abolish the stigma of underage drinking.

Work Cited

David Abel. "Arrests at festival hit a mark. " Boston Globe 18 Aug. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

James Q. Lynch. "Bill would erase records for underage drinkers: Offenders would still be fined. " McClatchy - Tribune Business News 24 January 2010 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Matt Rocheleau. "Newton Corner liquor store is accused of selling to minors. " Boston Globe 15 Oct. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.

Wallin, Eva, and Sven Andreasson. "Can I Have a Beer, Please? A Study of Alcohol Service to Young Adults on Licensed Premises in Stockholm.(Author abstract)." Prevention Science 5.4 (2004): 221+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

"Wrong approach on booze. " North Adams Transcript 1 December 2008 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.