Underage
Drinking: Success Stories
Georgia – February 2004
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of Problem
Strategies More
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With support from the OJJDP
Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Initiative, community organizations, enforcement agencies, youth, and other concerned citizens are working collaboratively to
change local ordinances and enforcement practices.
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Greater Cooperation Results in
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Georgias problem of illegal
alcohol sales to minors in the mid-1990s was marked by an extremely
high rate of noncompliance among alcohol-licensed establishments. Alarmed
by this reality, the State was quick to respond.
In the fall of 1997,
the Department of Revenue Alcohol & Tobacco Division (DOR-ATD)
partnered with volunteers and staff from the Georgia Alcohol Policy Partnership
(GAPP) to develop a plan for conducting compliance investigations throughout
the State. GAPP agreed to conduct Statewide public awareness efforts and
assist with the recruitment and training of youth enforcement teams. Georgia
DOR-ATD agents implemented a plan to increase compliance investigations
systematically over time and to develop an initial framework for what
is now the Underage Alcohol Investigative and Compliance Operations Group.
Initially, the group
conducted approximately 500 compliance checks. Of the alcohol-licensed
establishments investigated, more than half were found noncompliant with
the States minimum purchase age law.
Over the past three
years, the number and frequency of investigations have increased, as have
locally coordinated investigations. This has resulted in more than 6,000
compliance checks conducted in the State and a reduction in illegal sales
by almost 50 percent. In 2003, the overall rate of compliance among alcohol-licensed
establishments in Georgia was 78 percent, although compliance rates in
several communities were even higher!
Law enforcement, community
leaders, and youth all play an important role in the States successful
efforts. Youth participate in compliance checks, lead advocacy efforts,
and are key spokespersons in educational and media campaigns designed
to inform lawmakers about the problems of underage drinking and youth
access to alcohol. As a result, strong support exists for Georgias
law enforcement efforts to reduce illegal sales of alcohol to minors.
Community leaders,
Georgia PTA, MADD Georgia, Family Connection of Georgia, and community-based
coordinators of local efforts to reduce underage drinking provide critical
influence by encouraging other local and State organizations to support
alcohol policy and enforcement strategies that reduce youth access to
alcohol.
For more information, contact
Clarise Jackson-Hall ? Children & Youth Coordinating Council @
(404)508-6574;
Ronald Johnson ? GA Dept of Revenue ? Alcohol & Tobacco Division @
(404) 656-4252;
Joel Hardy ? GA Alcohol Policy Partnership @ (770)239-7442; or
Cathy Finck ? Cobb Underage Drinking Task Force @ (770)640-8862.
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