Concerned adults and young people in our community have joined together to draw a firm line: "Alcohol use by anyone under age 21 is unacceptable." While numerous accurate and strong messages about the dangers of illicit drugs can be found in the media, in our homes, in schools, and other places, youth often hear mixed messages about alcohol. In fact, our young adults frequently receive tacit approval to use alcohol because it is frequently perceived as a "rite of passage" or a "lesser evil than drugs."
SANTA MONICA AGAINST UNDERAGE DRINKING (SMAUD) was formed as a result of a grant funded by the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Community Trials Initiative. The City of Santa Monica is one of thirty-six intervention cities from five states, including California, New York, Connecticut, Florida and Missouri selected to participate.
The goal of SMAUD is to work to improve the environment in which students typically make decisions about underage drinking.
Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among adolescents. Alcohol- related collisions are the leading cause of death in the 15 - 24 year age group. Alcohol is also a factor in over 50% of teen suicides and teen rape. Underage drinking costs in California alone are 6.5 billion dollars per year. In 1998, Congress established the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Program (EUDL) with an annual appropriation of 25 million dollars.
The Santa Monica Police Department is a partner in the EUDL grant which seeks to increase enforcement of underage drinking laws and reduce underage drinking. While young people obtain alcohol from a variety of sources, as long as they can buy it easily at retail outlets, other attempts to reduce underage drinking are likely to fail. All states prohibit the sale of alcohol to minors.
SMAUD's mission statement is its driving force:
"A community working together to implement a comprehensive educational and enforcement program whose focus is the prevention of underage drinking and to save lives."
The coalition seeks to reduce underage drinking, provide young people with safe, healthy and fun alternatives to alcohol, nurture youth leadership, increase awareness and provide education on implementing policies that reduce access to alcohol.
We urge our young people, parents, business and religious leaders, educators, government officials, medical professionals and anyone interested in this issue to join us in working to keep our youth safe and sober.
Alcohol use is the leading cause of injury and death among young people. Teens need to know the real risks posed by alcohol and learn positive ways to handle them.
STOP! THINK! DON'T DRINK!
If a driver or passenger of his or her vehicle is under 21 and illegally posesses alcohol, a driver's license can be:
- Restricted (limiting when and how drivers can use a vehicle)
- Suspended (withdrawn for a specified period or until some required condition is met)
- Revoked (terminated, requiring drivers to reapply for a license after a revocation period)
