Underage Drinking: Success Stories

In response to the needs of alcohol merchants, the Identifying Underage Buyers training seminar was designed and implemented by the Billings Police Department (BPD) to help alcohol merchants comply with the minimum legal purchase age law. Through on-going compliance checks, area alcohol merchants are held accountable for training their employees, implementing policies and procedures, and learning to refuse the sale of alcohol to minors.

In the last 3 years, BPD has conducted more than 500 compliance checks, and compliance rates have averaged 80%, an increase from 69% when the first checks were conducted. They have found that local bars and casinos tend to have higher compliance rates, whereas grocery and convenience stores have lower rates of compliance with the minimum purchase age laws.

The Minor Alcohol Prevention Program also assisted in the creation of Montana’s only Keg Registration Ordinance. The City of Billings began tracking the sale of all kegs of beer sold at the retail level on July 1, 2002. Details on the responsibilities of the merchants, along with consequences to comply are outlined in the Identifying Underage Buyers training that is offered free of charge to all area alcohol licenses. To date, BPD has not issued any keg registration violations, but they have started to implement special police operations to check keg registration compliance rates.

The Minor Alcohol Prevention Program has since joined the grassroots organization, Montanans United Saving Lives (MUSL), which originated in Billings to address issues related to minor-in-possession and driving-under-the-influence legislation. During the January-April 2003 legislative session, MUSL worked with other Statewide organizations such as MADD to push for passage of two bills: one to reduce the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) standard for drinking and driving to .08 and the other to prohibit open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles. Many members participated in a variety of ways including letter writing, phone calls, testifying, and having direct contact with State representatives and senators. Although the open container law did not pass, the .08 BAC law did. MUSL is now working on compiling a legislative report card.

“Our community has shared success as a result of many people working together to combat a problem that has a staggering social, economic, and emotional cost,” stated Lisa Posada-Griffin, Minor Alcohol Prevention Coordinator. Through a collaborative effort of law enforcement and grassroots groups in Billings, change is beginning to take hold in Montana.