Underage Drinking: Success Stories

Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Initiative, community organizations, enforcement agencies, youth, and other concerned citizens are working collaboratively to

change local ordinances and enforcement practices.

One of the Nation?s strongest keg registration laws gets ready to

rolled out in July 2003 in Indiana. Originally proposed in 1999, the new

law requires keg purchasers to provide retailers a valid driver?s license,

home address and birth date.

Underage drinking is a serious problem in Indiana, costing the State

approximately $860 million a year. In Indiana, much of the underage

drinking occurs at parties where kegs are present. In an effort to counter

this problem, the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (ICRUD)

educated the legislature about the need for keg tracking as a way to

restrict youth access to alcohol by holding adults accountable for

supplying alcohol to them.

ICRUD is a statewide coalition comprised of members including the Indiana

Point of Youth (POY), students from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute

(ninth through twelfth grade advocates), and other individuals and

organizations (local law enforcement agencies, mental health

organizations, state colleges and universities, and others). Together,

this coalition educates the public and policymakers about Indiana?s

underage drinking problems and about proven strategies that reduce youth

access to alcohol.

Mobilization efforts for keg tracking began at the grassroots level and

moved upward. Tammy Loew, Alcohol Risk Reduction Coordinator at Purdue

University Student Wellness Office and Dee Owens, Director of the

Alcohol/Drug Information Center at Indiana University, encouraged and

helped organize student?s law enforcement, prevention professionals,

health care experts, and community leaders to testify on behalf of keg

registration. Strong authorship from Senator Beverly Gard and

Representative Charlie Brown provided legislative language that requires

keg purchasers to provide retailers with a valid State driver?s license

and a complete home address. Legislation also requires kegs to be tagged

with identification numbers. With slight opposition, the bill passed the

House unanimously. Governor O?Bannon signed the keg tracking bill into

Indiana law on March 20, 2002. After passage, the Alcohol and Tobacco

Commission collaborated with ICRUD and other agencies to develop the

administrative rules.

Keg tracking is an easy means to keep track of keg purchases. At the time

of purchase, retailers record the keg identification number and contact

information for the purchaser. If a keg is found at a party, it can be

easily identified and associated with the purchaser. Adults who illegally

provide alcohol to minors are more likely to stop this behavior when there

are known consequences. Retailers also benefit from keg-tracking

legislation because it gives them documentation to confirm legal sales

transactions.

?Passage of this bill represents a true partnership among students,

universities, concerned citizens and law enforcement,? says Loew. ?It also

represents our combined commitment to address underage drinking.?

Criminal Justice Institute at 317-233-378 or Lisa Hutcheson, Director, (ICRUD)

at 800-555-6424. x.232

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