which are sweet tasting and up to 4.7 servings of alcohol at a cheap price ($2-3 each). Addressing the accessibility for
Attachment #6
Social Host Ordinance Fact Sheet
2014
Problems of underage drinking
Drinking under the age of 21 is a leading public health problem in this country. 7 Wisconsin leads the nation in almost EVERY alcohol‐related statistic, including underage binge drinking. 2 Studies show our brains develop until the age of 25 and the last part to develop‐the prefrontal cortex which impacts our decision making‐is also the first to be affected negatively by alcohol consumption.8 Alcohol is frequently a contributing factor in the leading causes of death among youth; accidents, homicides and suicides, and the prelude to numerous tragedies including sexual assault, falls, drownings or vehicular injury.9 Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning. 3 The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Wisconsin high school students showed that 39% of high school students had consumed alcohol within the proceeding 30 days and 24% of high school students engaged in dangerous (sometimes called binge) drinking in the previous 30 days.
Contributing factors to underage drinking
The greatest influence on young people’s decisions to begin drinking is the world they live in, which includes their families, friends, schools, the larger community, and society as a whole. Research suggests young people drink because they assume everyone else does. 5 ACCESS is a major factor – Research shows youth access to alcohol contributes to underage drinking‐easy access to alcohol in general, and also the availability of high alcohol content beverages such as Alco‐pops & 4LOKO – which are sweet tasting and up to 4.7 servings of alcohol at a cheap price ($2‐3 each).
Addressing the accessibility for underage drinking
RETAIL – Defined as any place licensed to sell alcohol o Alcohol compliance checks are completed periodically by law enforcement officials. During the checks, officials supervise youth who attempt to purchase alcohol. This is a type of environmental prevention initiative that deters alcohol outlets from selling alcohol to underage youth. 1 o Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) trainings is a community‐based approach to promote public safety and to reduce risks associated with the retail alcohol environment. RBS has three essential elements: the adoption of alcohol‐service policy for ABC‐licensed establishments; the providing of server education and guidance; and the development of partnerships between law enforcement, local government and community groups. 1 SOCIAL – Defined as family, friends, and other adults o T aking keys away from the drinker may stop a person from drinking and driving, but it does not prevent dangerous behavior, property damage and violence, which can happen when youth and young adults drink.
Social host is
A law that holds non‐commercial individuals responsible for underage drinking events on property they own, lease or otherwise control. A change in FOCUS from the underage drinker to the alcohol provider. One more tool for law enforcement and communities to address social access to alcohol. Complementing state laws against purchasing and providing alcohol to youth or young adults by holding the individuals who provide a location for underage drinking accountable in municipal court.
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Attachment #6
Social Host Ordinance Fact Sheet
2014
Social host is NOT
A duplication of the state law. It is still illegal to give, sell or procure. Eliminating parents’ rights. A parent can still give alcohol to their own child, just not anyone else’s. Creating a crime. It is a municipal ordinance violation. The goal is not to throw people in jail or to put the violation on a permanent record; it’s to deter the act of underage drinking.
Benefits of a social host ordinance
Safeguards the public’s health and safety by protecting public order, discouraging underage drinking and holding individuals accountable for underage drinking. Imposes an affirmative duty on home owners to prevent parties from occurring. Takes a stand to say it is not acceptable to host underage drinking parties in your community. Imposes civil fines, including possible reimbursement to local government for cost of law enforcement and emergency services. It’s possible to recover costs accumulated when law enforcement need to repeatedly respond to the same party site. 4 Promotes a shift in community/social norms which support underage drinking. Social host ordinances are still fairly new, but the first national study of civil social host law found that social host liability laws reduced binge drinking and drinking and driving among drinkers generally.1
Other municipal social host ordinances
Over a dozen Wisconsin municipalities have adopted social host ordinances punishing adults who permit, allow, or fail to take reasonable steps to prevent underage drinking on premises under their control. In October 2011, Wausau became the 11th municipality to pass a social host ordinance; they were the first municipality in central Wisconsin. Weston followed in December 2011, with Kronenwetter passing an ordinance in February 2012. 6 Marathon County became the third county to pass an ordinance in February 2012 – the first county in central Wisconsin. Approximately 60% of Marathon County is covered under the ordinance. 6 Many other municipalities and counties throughout the state, including our neighbors, are currently in discussion of passing a social host ordinance. 6
Other information
According to The Burden of Excessive Alcohol Use in Wisconsin, the cost of excessive drinking in Wisconsin is $6.8 billion per year. Wood County bears $7.3 million annually of this burden. This is a cost of $1007.91 for every Wood County resident. It’s already illegal to sell or serve alcohol to minors. Yet social host laws are needed in a party setting because it is often difficult or impossible to identify who provided the alcohol. It makes more sense to assign responsibility to those who knew or should have known a drinking party was occurring on their property. Social host ordinances also have a deterrent effect, encouraging property owners to prevent such parties. 1
References: (1)
CADCA Building a drug‐free communities, http://www.cadca.org/files/june24STOPAct.pdf
(2)
Health First Wisconsin, http://www.healthfirstwi.org/burdenalcoholreport2013/
(3)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, http://www.camy.org/factsheets/sheets/consequences_of_underage_drinking.html
(4) (5) (6)
MADD, http://www.madd.org/underage‐drinking/the‐power‐of‐parents/high‐school‐parents/social‐host/ MedicineNet.com, http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.htm Stoughton Cares, http://www.stoughtoncares.org/social‐host/who‐s‐passed‐and‐who‐s‐discussing
(7)
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm
(8)
The Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390443713704577601532208760746
(9)
American Academy of Pediatrics, October 1998, child health month promotional material.
October 2014
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