Compliance Check / Alcohol Purchase Survey Explanation

Compliance Check Operation

Routine, comprehensive compliance checks are the key strategy for

deterring commercial alcohol sales to minors. They involve the use

of underage buyers by law enforcement agencies as deputies to test

retailers’ compliance with laws regarding the sale of alcohol

to minors. Retailers who do sell to the underage buyer are then

cited or arrested depending on the laws of that jurisdiction.

Alcohol Purchase Survey

In order to carry out a purchase survey, a representative sample

of alcohol outlets is selected. At each outlet in the sample, a

buyer who is over 21 but who appears to be underage attempts to

purchase alcohol without presenting age identification (ID). If

the outlet sells alcohol to the buyer, it is considered noncompliant.

If the outlet refuses to sell to the buyer, it is considered in

compliance. There is no enforcement action taken as there would

be in a compliance check.

Alcohol purchase surveys indicate who is selling alcohol to minors

and how often. This lets a community know how large the problem

of underage sales is and among which outlets. This information can

be very useful in allocating scarce enforcement and prevention resources.

The results of surveys can be used to help raise community awareness

and build support for efforts to reduce sales to minors.

Author
Medical Reviewer
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