As statewide advocacy organizations representing substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery, we have concerns about L.D. 903, “An Act to Strengthen the Penalties for Sales to Minors and or Purchases by Minors of Alcoholic Beverages.” This legislation would require driver’s license suspensions for adults caught providing alcohol to minors and for minors who are caught in possession of or trying to purchase alcohol.

Research indicates that it would be more valuable to support efforts to increase the enforcement of current underage drinking and furnishing laws.

Based on the 2004 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey, 30 percent of 6th-12th graders, or nearly 36,000 students, drank on at least one occasion in the month prior to the survey. Yet, according to the 2003 Uniform Crime Reports data, in 2003 there were only 600 citations or arrests of adults over 21 for liquor law violations, a category that includes, but is not limited to, furnishing offenses. Therefore, it is likely that we see a maximum of 50 furnishing arrests for a minimum of 36,000 underage drinking offenders on a monthly basis. It is clear that people who provide alcohol to minors and who think they won’t be caught, unfortunately, are probably right.

We appreciate that underage drinking issues are receiving attention. However, we feel that there are more effective strategies to reduce these problems than adding a new penalty that may or may not be enforced any more aggressively than our current penalties are.

Ruth Blauer, executive director, Maine Association

of Substance Abuse Programs;

Megan Rice, coordinator,

Maine Association

of Prevention Programs;

Deb Dettor, coordinator,

Maine Alliance

for Addiction Recovery, Augusta

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