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Alcohol > Laws Prohibiting Alcohol Sales to Minors
Enhanced Enforcement of Laws Prohibiting Alcohol Sales to Minors
Recommendation
On behalf of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, a team of subject matter specialists and other scientists conducted a systematic review of published studies evaluating the effectiveness of enhanced enforcement programs on sales of alcohol to minors and on underage alcohol use.
Based on the evidence of effectiveness, the Task Force recommends enhanced enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors to reduce such sales. Further research is needed to determine how these reductions in sales affect underage drinking.
About the Intervention
- Enhanced enforcement interventions begin or increase the frequency of “sting operations” to:
- assess whether retailers are complying with laws against the sale of alcohol to minors, and
- punish offenders.
- The interventions aim to increase retailers’ perception that alcohol sales to minors will lead to swift, certain, and serious punishment.
- Retailer compliance checks, or “sting operations”, are conducted by, or coordinated with local law enforcement or alcohol beverage control (ABC) agencies, and violators receive legal or administrative sanctions.
- Enhanced enforcement programs are often conducted as part of multicomponent, community-based efforts to reduce underage drinking.
- Many include publicizing the increased enforcement activities to increase retailers’ perceived risk of getting caught. This is most often done through mass media or by sending letters to all of the alcohol retailers in a community.
Findings from the Systematic Review
- In all eight studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the review, enhanced enforcement programs were effective in reducing retail sales of alcohol to minors.
- All of the studies evaluated the percentage of purchase attempts by underage or youthful-looking decoys that resulted in sales. Some studies also assessed rates
of underage drinking.
- During enhanced enforcement programs, purchase attempts by decoys that resulted in sales decreased by a median of 42%.
- Three studies found that enhanced enforcement programs were associated with modest decreases in underage alcohol consumption, but this effect was directly
attributable to enhanced enforcement in only one study.
- Enhanced enforcement programs were effective in on-premises (e.g., bars) and off-premises (e.g., liquor stores) establishments, as well as in rural and urban
communities, and among different ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
Background on Underage Drinking
Alcohol use by persons under age 21 is an important public health problem.
- Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.
- Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is against the law, people aged 12 to 20 years drink nearly 20% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks.
- In 2004, there were more than 142,000 emergency rooms visits by youth 12 to 20 years for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.
Source: Quick Stats: Underage Drinking. CDC.gov. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/underage_drinking.htm. Accessed on: 04/05/2008.
The findings and conclusions in this report have not been formally disseminated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.
The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Sample citation: Enhanced Enforcement of Laws Prohibiting Alcohol Sales to Minors. Guide to Community Preventive Services Website. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol. Accessed on: MM/DD/YYYY.
Review completed: February 2007
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