Laws to Deter Underage Drinking Appear to Work
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iStock/Thinkstock(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Social host laws that hold adults responsible when underage drinking is happening on their property may be helping to drive down the number of teens who use alcohol at weekend parties.
Mallie Paschall, a senior research scientist at the Prevention Research Center in Oakland, California, admits that there’s no direct proof yet of a link between these laws and a decrease in underage drinking.
However, the early findings are encouraging after a study of 50 California communities, half of which put the onus on parents or adults if people under 21 are caught imbibing at their homes or establishments.
In areas where social host laws were enforced, which can mean stiff fines, there were fewer reports of underage drinking parties.
Paschall explains that most teens get alcohol from social sources, such as parents or other adults, so it would stand to reason that laws that target those sources will result in a decline of underage drinking.
He adds that besides strict enforcement, there also has to be an aggressive public campaign about social host laws to inform parents about the penalties they face for allowing minors to consume alcohol on their property.
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