On an early-summer night in 2003, Paris police Chief David Verrier learned exactly how some adults view underage drinking.
More than 100 teenagers had gathered for a graduation party. The teens started drinking, and by the time police arrived at midnight – called by neighbors because of the noise – many of the party-goers were drunk.
Police called parents to pick up their 17- and 18-year-olds. The officers expected shock. They expected anger.
They didn’t expect what they got.
“The typical response was, Well, they just graduated. They should be allowed to party,'” Verrier said. “Some (parents) took their time getting there.”
It’s an attitude Maine officials are still trying to fight.
Statewide, police say they routinely see adults who allow young people to drink. Sometimes it’s an older friend or a fellow college student. Other times, it’s mom and dad.
Prom and graduation seasons are among the busiest times for underage drinking, experts say. But so is summer. Students have more free time.
Police are warning teens not to drink and they warn adults not to allow it. If they do, they could face fines and jail.
“Pure and simple, it’s against the law,” said Norm Croteau, district attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.
No safe place to drink
Experts say underage drinking can lead to health problems and an increased risk of addiction. They say it also leads to criminal problems, such as drinking and driving, date rape and assault.
In Maine, no one under 21 can possess or drink alcohol. The only exception: at home with parental permission and with a parent there. Young people cannot legally drink at a friend’s house or at a party, even if mom and dad have said it’s OK.
In the past year, Lewiston police have charged 138 teens and 20-year-olds with possession of alcohol. They charged 45 people with giving liquor to minors and 13 people with furnishing places for minors to drink.
Lewiston keeps those annual statistics, in part, to maintain grants for liquor-law enforcement. Other communities don’t track underage drinking so closely, but officials say it’s just as big a problem for them.
“This is something that occurs all the time,” said Verrier, the Paris police chief.
He said teens in Paris ask strangers or friends to buy them beer. Sometimes, teens buy liquor themselves when they know a store won’t ask for ID. Other times, parents allow their children to drink at home with friends.
It’s all led recently to more teenage drinking and driving in town, Verrier said. In one incident a couple of months ago, a teenager drank at a friend’s house, then drove to a store. With a blood-alcohol level three times the adult legal limit, she nearly hit a police officer head-on.
The girl’s mother knew she was drinking that night, Verrier said. The mother thought it was safe as long as her daughter drank at a friend’s house.
“But once they start drinking, it’s no longer a safe place,” Verrier said.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department sees underage drinking most often at parties thrown by other teens or new 21-year-olds. Last year, they caught the same young adult two or three times when he let underage acquaintances drink at his place.
“I don’t think they have any idea what kind of trouble they can get into,” said Lt. Glenn Holt.
The state increased fines for underage drinking last year. Minors now face at least a $200 fine for carrying, buying or drinking liquor. Adults face at least a $500 fine for furnishing liquor to a minor and at least a $1,000 fine for allowing a minor to drink, even if the adult isn’t there at the time.
If that drinking causes injury or death, the adult can be charged with a felony. That carries jail time.
Education and enforcement
Although penalties have increased, enforcement is still difficult. To save money, the state eliminated all of its liquor enforcement officers a few years ago. Since then, local police have tried to stay on top of the problem while they juggle other priorities.
Grants have helped. Lewiston, Auburn and Lisbon have received state and federal money through Healthy Androscoggin to help pay for overtime and extra enforcement details. Nine Oxford County communities, including Paris, have gotten grants through the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition for education and enforcement.
Community groups are trying to pick up where the police leave off. Several months ago, the state hosted a series of meetings on underage drinking to get communities talking about the problem. Around the same time, Healthy Androscoggin started a program called “Parents Who Host Lose the Most.”
It sent letters and fact sheets to local parents during prom season to let them know the criminal and civil penalties they face if they host an underage drinking party. It also set up a Web site with facts, tips and resources on underage drinking. Healthy Androscoggin is hoping to expand the program this school year.
Officials say they’re desperate to get the point across: Teens shouldn’t drink and adults shouldn’t allow it.
“A lot of people don’t look at alcohol as a drug,” Verrier said. “But it is.”
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