Teens take action against underage drinking

Teenage volunteers in Manito and Havana took action against underage drinking Thursday with "Project Sticker Shock," sponsored by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission's "Don't Be Sorry" campaign.

[Jody]

Why can't they make beer at least $10.00 a bottle. If they can raise the tax on cigarettes then why can't they raise tax on beer and whisky.
Why can't they do something about the bars for letting people get so drunk they cannot walk and then let them get into they vehicles and drive or attempt. Why are the bars exempt from all this?

[somewhere]

bars are not exempt from anything, it is the bartenders responsibilty to not serve a person that is fallin down slobbering drunk.. also if a person leaves a bar gets killed of kills someone then family can sue that bar and i believe the bar before that..a friend of mine lost her husband and sued the two bars he was at, so bars do not get off to easliy...

[Wanting to know]

Jody, Ive been wondering the same thing. But when you think about all the elected officials that spend big bucks for parties and such, it would hurt them to put higher taxes on beer and such. Do we really think they are going to pass laws to hurt themselves(I dont think so).It is the responsibilty of the bartender to know when to cut someone off and they plus the bar owner can be sued, but even at that it doesnt bring the person or the people he might off killed while being drunk.

[I wish more people knew]

Two things: One, not only could the bar owner be sued but also the bartender and the owner of the property, even if the drunk person only serioulsy injures himself or assaults another person. If they serve alcohol they have a responsibility to protect society from harm by not overserving and making sure their customers don't drive drunk. Two, raising alcohol taxes is a proven strategy to decrease underage drinking since minors usually don't have as much of an expendable income. It also decreases excessive drinking since most of the adults it effects are the 20% of society that consumes 80% of the alcohol. By decreasing underage drinking and adult excessive drinking you'll also decrease other problems that cost us taxpayers money. Many states are currently raising their alcohol taxes. You should contact your representative or contact your local politicians because local city governments can also raise alcohol taxes and as a result take in extra money to pay for deficits.

[Me again]

Raising the prices is far from the right solution. Alcohol is a drug. People lie, cheat, and steal for it. You will only encourage violence. Education is the key. Make kids watch videos about the results of drunk driving. Make them watch it monthly in school. Bring in families whom it has effected and lost their loved ones to it. Bring in the person who stupidly took a life because of one ill decision they made that ruined their life forever. Don't send the message that only rich people can kill others, because alcohol in itself is not to blame.

[I wish more people knew]

Raising prices by itself is not the solution but research science shows that it is part of the solution. Education is another piece of the solution but using scare tactics has never shown to be effective, except it scares teens who already won't be doing it. There are education programs that have proven to be effective but they focus on things like refusal skills and short term consequences such as legal consequences. There are so many more pieces of the puzzle I wish more people knew.

[Me again]

Again, education is the key. You cannot sit back and wish this and wish that. If you want people to know something, speak up. We look up and investigate things that people tell us, but to find it on our own, well, most are just not that motivated. And scare tactics worked wonders on me, and still does. I like to drink, but after all I have seen and heard about drunk driving, I could never. Kids are listening, and they do care, but you have to show them that its important to you and others. Children most generally lead by example. Give them a chance. Please don't give up on them. I have faith in alot of our younger kids these days, and have great pride in some things I have seen lately. If we get involved, they will be more likely to.