SARG: News
News updated - 7/08/09
Florida News:
Palm Beach Post spotlights the efforts of Palm Beach County Substance Abuse Coalition to reduce underage drinking in Florida.
The consequences of underage drinking in Florida add up to $3 billion a year, a study finds
By Kathleen Chapman, Palm Beach Post - Palm Beach, Fla
June 20, 2009
Underage drinking is a big problem in Florida, and now state leaders know exactly how big: $3 billion a year, or a cost of $165 for every state resident.
In Palm Beach County alone, the cost is $223 million, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Miami.
The Department of Children and Families asked the researchers to come up with the number, which includes the damage caused by alcohol-related traffic crashes, crimes committed by kids under the influence and the lifetime cost of babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
"It seemed like something that we should determine, because we are investing a lot of effort in preventing underage drinking," said Bill Janes, who oversees substance abuse programs at the DCF and also heads the Florida Office of Drug Control. "As we increase our efforts, those costs ought to come down."
In the most recent survey of teens in high school, 31 percent statewide reported having a drink in the past 30 days, a number that has been persistently higher than other states. But community coalitions all over the state are beginning to chip away at the problem, and the percentage of teens who say they drink has fallen in recent years.
The Palm Beach County Substance Abuse Coalition soon will deliver 25 new breath-testing machines to law enforcement officers across the county, encouraging them to test the blood-alcohol levels of more teens, Executive Director Doris Carroll said.
Increasingly, cities are making it harder for minors to get to alcohol by setting up designated beer gardens at local events, rather than letting people walk the streets with open containers. The local coalition is pushing for more of those laws, as well as bans on nightclubs allowing people under 21.
A statewide campaign, Be the Wall, urges parents to be clear and consistent with their teens.
And at Palm Beach County high school graduations this year, the local coalition handed out postcards to parents warning them that people who serve alcohol to minors, even at their own homes, can go to jail for up to 60 days.
But still, "when we look around, there is access everywhere," Carroll said. "Kids are drinking from home, and parents are allowing them to."
For more information, go to www.pbcteensanddrugs.com.
High price to pay People under 21 who get access to alcohol cost Floridians $3 billion a year, according to researchers at the University of Miami. The figure includes:
- $223 million in Palm Beach County
- $17.3 million in Martin County
- $37.4 million in St. Lucie County
- Statewide, violent crime caused by people under the influence of alcohol costs $1.5 billion.
- Alcohol-related traffic crashes cost $642.7 million and property crimes cost $315.3 million.
- Other costs included in the study were risky sexual behavior, fetal alcohol syndrome, suicides, alcohol abuse treatment and medical costs from accidents such as falls and drownings.
original article: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2009/06/20/a1b_underage_0621.html
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Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Coalition helps Pasco County Sheriff's Office refurbish trailer for use at DUI checkpoints as a mobile drunk tank.
"St. Pete Times" on Pasco County Mobile Operations Center
By Erin Sullivan, Times Staff Writer
Publication Date: February 12, 2009
Posted: April 20, 2009
Deputy Creg Bell explains the features in Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s new mobile drunk tank.
[Photo Courtesy of Brendan Fitterer | Times]
NEW PORT RICHEY — The holding cells inside the mobile drunk tank have drains.
"It will help a lot," said Sgt. Art Rowand, supervisor of the traffic enforcement unit at the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. "It's easier to clean."
Everything inside the 46-foot trailer — which will be used by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office at DUI checkpoints — is easily wiped down: vinyl seats, smooth floors, plastic chairs. Even the fancy Intoxilyzer 8000 machine, which can pinpoint blood alcohol level, has a hard plastic covering that could be pulled over the machine to protect it, if need be.
When you have a small space with a lot of people who have been swilling booze and drugs, there is a high probability that some of it will come back out of them.
"Throwing up isn't usually the problem," said Rowand, as he gave a tour Wednesday of the refurbished trailer. "It's urine."
The trailer isn't new. Sheriff Bob White, who is in his third term, said it was here when he first took office. Rowand thought the agency bought it in the early 1990s. Until a few months ago, it was being used as a crime prevention trailer and as a place to haul motorcycles and such.
"It was growing mold," White said.
The trailer was refurbished using a $16,000 state grant obtained by a new grass roots organization called the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention and a $14,000 federal grant obtained by the Sheriff's Office.
Previously at DUI checkpoints, deputies had to drive each suspect to the Land O'Lakes jail for processing — and then drive all the way back out to the checkpoint, then back again and so on.
"Instead of six deputies going back and forth," Rowand said, "now it will be one deputy, going one time."
There are two holding cells inside the trailer, as well as all the equipment needed to process suspects on the spot: a dark room to check pupils; the Breathalyzer; several computers to verify a person's identity, outstanding warrants and criminal history; and a DVD player so deputies can review video of arrests.
During DUI sweeps, a paddy wagon will be stationed alongside the new trailer — so suspects can be processed and then held inside the van until there are enough people for a trip to the jail. One deputy can transport about six suspects.
The DUI enforcement mobile operations center will be christened at its first checkpoint on Saturday — Valentine's Day.
"So get your significant other flowers," White said, "and not a bottle of Jim Beam."back to top
Erin Sullivan can be reached at esullivan@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6229.
Port St. Joe's "The Star" on Gulf Coast Prevention Coalition Project
Prevention Coalition Urges Parents to "Be the Wall"
By Despina Williams, The Star - Port St. Joe, Florida
March 12, 2009
Port St. Joe High School art student Virginia McCall created the winning entry in the Gulf County Prevention Coalition's logo contest. McCall will receive a $150 check and her fellow Gulf Art Academy students will receive a pizza party.Only 16 people attended last Thursday night's meeting of the Gulf County Prevention Coalition, held in Port St. Joe's Centennial Building.
Since forming in November 2007 to address the problem of underage drinking in Gulf County, the coalition has enjoyed only sporadic participation by area parents, elected officials and teens.
Despite the disappointing turnout, the coalition moved forward on several projects, most notably the "Be The Wall" social marketing campaign.
Created in Charlotte County, the campaign uses posters, buttons, sidewalk figures, radio and television commercials and educational programs to encourage parents to be consistent and steadfast in discouraging underage drinking.
The campaign utilizes the latest in brain research, which shows that one's brain does not fully develop until one's mid 20s. Teenagers, therefore, are especially prone to rebellious and impulsive behavior.
The Substance Abuse Response Guide (SARG) grant, which funds the coalition's efforts, will pay for the entire "Be the Wall" promotional package.
Once the materials arrive, SARG coordinator Carly Pickels plans to take the campaign into schools, parent-teacher association meetings and other venues.
Ron Cave, the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco (ABT) Licensing Board northwest supervisor, gave a report on his agency's efforts to curb underage drinking.
Currently, 51 Gulf County establishments have liquor licenses. At last check, only 73 percent were found in compliance.
An establishment will receive an administrative sanction if it sells alcohol to minors three times in an 84-day period.
Currently, ABT offers free training for alcohol servers and sales clerks under the "Responsible Vendor Program."
The program helps employees identify false ids and provides a comprehensive look at alcohol laws, liabilities and felony charges.
Seventy-eight Panama City vendors participated in the training in preparation for Spring Break.
"We're not in the business of trying to shut down establishments. We're trying to get compliance," noted Cave.
Though penalties are in place for those who sell alcohol to minors, Florida lacks a consumption law.
In the state, minors are prohibited from possessing, but not actually consuming, alcohol.
Pickels said she has met with the staff of state representative Jimmy Patronis to advocate a consumption bill currently making its way through the legislative process.
Pickel's Bay County counterpart, SARG coordinator Brian Russell, shared with the coalition his work in combating underage drinking.
One of Russell's most successful efforts was encouraging Bay County high schools not to give students champaign glasses, beer mugs and shot glasses as prom give-always.
"They sent a mixed message - ‘Don't drink, but here's a champaign glass,'" said Russell.
After the coalition wrote letters and met with school administrators, three out of five Bay County principals said they would no longer distribute items that promote underage drinking.
Other Bay County prevention efforts included displaying a twisted car involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident at home football games and inviting students to tour a "House of Horrors and Happiness."
The house featured rooms devoted to both nightmarish scenarios - suicide, sexual assault - and happy endings - graduation, marriage and children.
In hopes of expanding its outreach, the Gulf County Prevention Coalition has begun exploring private and federal grants.
At the top of the wish list is a Drug Free Communities support grant, which would provide $125,000 a year up to five years.
In applying for the grant, the coalition would need to demonstrate broad community support for its efforts by obtaining Memorandums of Understanding from 12 different community sectors.
The sectors are: youth, parents, businesses, media, schools, state/local governments, youth organizations, law enforcement, religious/fraternal organizations, civic/volunteer organizations, health care professionals and other substance abuse organizations.
The coalition provided copies of the memorandum at last Thursday's meeting, with hopes of obtaining signatures. Given the poor turnout, coalition members will now have to hit the pavement to get the requisite support.
The coalition's executive committee will meet next Wednesday at 5:30 (ET) at Capital City Bank to review the grant application, which must be submitted by March 20.
Grant funds could be used to fund school assemblies and disposable breathalyzer tests for the Gulf County Sheriff's department, among other projects, said Pickels.
For more information, contact Carly Pickels at 850-227-4913.
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Orlando Sentinel spotlights Safe Climate Coalition of Lake County.
When your kids want to drink, 'Be The Wall,' activist mom says
By Amy C Rippel, Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, Fla
Dec 19, 2008
TAVARES -- Lou Ann Stubbs knew early on that she had to be "the wall."
As a parent, she wanted to ensure her sons didn't give in to peer pressure to drink alcohol. So years ago, when her sons were in middle school, Stubbs started doing all she could to make sure they remained alcohol-free.
She was the wall -- a barrier -- between her sons and the negative influences that could have persuaded them to drink. Today, Stubbs is part of a countywide campaign to help other parents Be The Wall.
In coming weeks, the Safe Climate Coalition of Lake County will launch the Be The Wall campaign -- a statewide effort to make sure parents try to prevent underage drinking. Stubbs, a project coordinator for the coalition, will be part of the team that's putting the campaign together locally.
Debi MacIntyre, the coalition's executive director, said parents must be the first line of defense in the war against underage drinking. The biggest problem, though, will be convincing some parents that it's the right thing to do.
"We need to get rid of the mindset, 'I did it, and I turned out OK,' " MacIntyre said. "The world is very different today."
The coalition, a countywide group focused on preventing youth substance abuse and violence, announced the multifaceted campaign last week in Tavares. It is part of a larger effort sponsored by state agencies, including the Department of Children and Families.
The need for the campaign is great, MacIntyre said. A 2008 survey showed 70 percent of Lake County teens chose not to drink alcohol, but about 30 percent reported that they had imbibed. Even though some parents think underage drinking, especially when supervised, is acceptable, it's not, she said.
"The developing teen brain also makes teens more impulsive and less likely to consider consequences of their behavior -- for this reason, the campaign encourages all adults to be firm, clear and consistent when talking with teens about alcohol," MacIntyre said in a written statement.
The aim is to inform parents who are sometimes difficult to reach, MacIntyre said. Because of work and other commitments, some parents aren't as involved in their children's lives. For the campaign to work, everyone must take part, MacIntyre said.
The coalition plans to blanket the county with advertising about the Be The Wall campaign. It hopes to put up posters at some of the area's larger employers, grocery stores, banks and hospital emergency rooms, among other places. It will include information in school newsletters, area newspapers and church bulletins. It will also market the information on local television stations, electronic billboards and Web sites.
Stubbs said she and her husband did all they could to make sure their sons, now 18 and 21, were not swayed by their friends to drink. They had very honest discussions about alcohol with their sons and always made sure they knew it was not acceptable to drink before age 21, she said.
She said it can be tough, but parents need to "step up and take responsibility for their kids and do the right thing."
"A lot of parents don't want to be the disciplinarian," she said. "They want their friendship instead of the parental role."
For more information, contact the coalition at 352-408-2009.
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Sheriffs Alcohol Vendors Enforcement Program for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
By Ted Healy, Project Director. Monroe County Coalition
September 19, 2008
We just had Deputy Scott Sitton present his Sheriffs Alcohol Vendors Enforcement program he developed for the Hillsborough County Sherriff's Office.
Scott far exceeded our expectations for the ideas he brought to our law enforcement agencies in Monroe County.
This was a learning experience for us in terms of coordinating a program like this with law enforcement as well as this was a new experience for law enforcement bringing training to them. Throw in the evacuation for Hurricane Ike and it was quite the challenge to pull off. I'm happy to report that this was a success for us even with the challenges we faced!
Scott never ceased to amaze me with his ability to adapt to a last second schedule/content change. Because he is a cop, he engaged our law enforcement right away (both plain clothes and undercover) more importantly, he brought the message to our police departments that they can step into the void that having only one ABT agent in Monroe County has created and not only pick up the slack, but in fact turn up the heat! We asked Scott to present the fake I.D. scanners (see above pictures) to the Department heads present because Susan and I want Law Enforcement to take the credit for this effort even though we do get a mention for providing the scanners.
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Join Together Article on Florida Alcohol Energy Drinks Enforcement
Fla. Sting Operation Targets Alcoholic Energy Drinks
May 2, 2008
by Bob Curley
The Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products recently conducted a series of statewide sting operations targeting sales of alcoholic energy drinks to underage youth and found that about one in four visits resulted in sales to buyers under age 21.
The agency's "Operation Cocktail for Disaster" included undercover purchase attempts at 932 establishments, and resulted in 173 arrests. Compliance rates ranged from a high of 94 percent in Pensacola to a low of 38 percent in Miami.
Statewide, compliance for alcoholic energy drink sales averaged 76 percent, compared to the state's 86-percent compliance rate for other types of alcohol sales. Alexis Antonacci, press secretary for the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products, said the findings showed that there may be "some confusion" about the alcohol content of products like Miller Brewing Company's Sparks and Anheuser-Busch's Bud Extra and Tilt.
"Protecting the safety of Florida's young people is a top priority [for the agency] and being familiar with new products that contain alcohol is an important part of ensuring retailer compliance," said Chuck Drago, interim secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Antonacci said the goal of the sting operation was to "make sure that retailers know these products contain alcohol and they need to be checking IDs."
"Highly caffeinated energy drinks laced with alcohol are a new trend in the alcoholic beverage market," the agency noted in a press release. "These drinks have the ability to cause adverse health consequences at high doses, especially among the underage."
Advocacy groups like the Marin Institute and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) contend that the drinks appeal primarily to young drinkers.
"Alcoholic energy drinks are very confusing products," said Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director of the Marin Institute. "They move kids from soda to energy drinks to alcohol. That's a continuum that the industry would like to have, and it's about time to stop underage sales."
Livingston praised the Florida alcohol agency for its "groundbreaking" enforcement campaign, and Antonacci acknowledged that the fact that the statewide stings focused on one specific type of alcoholic beverage -- something that has not previously occurred in Florida -- is indicative that state regulators believe alcoholic energy drinks require "extra attention." The appeal of such drinks to underage youth "is certainly a concern for us and something we continue to monitor," she said.
Miami's CBS-TV affiliate, WFOR-4, helped raise awareness about alcoholic energy drinks in February when it aired a two-part investigative report dubbed "Powerful Potions," focused on sales and use of Miller's Sparks energy drink, which contains up to 7 percent alcohol. As part of the piece, reporter Laurie Stein consumed three cans of Sparks over a two-hour period under the supervision of officers from the Florida State Patrol; she then failed a roadside sobriety test and blew a .117-percent blood-alcohol level on a Breathalyzer test.
In May, CSPI announced that it was planning to sue Anheuser-Busch and Miller over their alcoholic energy drinks, seeking to ban products that combine alcohol and stimulants and those that contain unapproved ingredients like caffeine, taurine, ginseng, and guarana. Critics contend that the drinks promote overconsumption by keeping drinkers awake so they can drink more, and that the stimulants in the drink may mask the effects of alcohol. A group of state attorneys general also has called on the Bush administration to crack down on marketing of alcoholic energy drinks.
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Other News:
New Drug-Free Workplace Kit Available from SAMHSA
According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 74.9 percent of all adult illicit drug users and most binge and heavy alcohol users are employed full or part time, which can cause loss of productivity, absenteeism and workplace accidents. A new kit is now available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to help employers develop drug-free workplace policies and programs.
The free Drug-Free Workplace Kit provides public and private workplaces with practical evidence-based information, resources, and tools for producing and maintaining drug-free workplace policies and programs.
"We want to help employers understand there are some very simple steps they can take to prevent these problems and assist employees in need of help. This kit is good for their businesses and good for the health and safety of their employees," said SAMHSA Administrator Terry L. Cline, Ph.D.
The health- and wellness-focused kit addresses these problems by explaining to employers what to do in order to protect and prepare the workplace, identify substance abuse related-issues, and provide prevention education and assistance to employees. It discusses the importance of understanding the legal aspects of the problem as well as how to build a team, assess the workplace, develop a policy, and plan and implement a program to address illicit substance use and abuse in their workplaces and workforces. It also provides guidance on setting up systems for evaluating the program's effectiveness.
The kit was developed using experiences from large and small employers, practitioners, researchers, and evaluators in the field, and includes approaches that are listed in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
The kit has nine pullout brochures, 13 fact sheets, a bumper sticker, and two 18x24-inch posters for display in workplaces.
The kit's major sections are:
- Components of a Drug-Free Workplace
- How to Assess Your Organization's Needs
- How to Develop a Drug-Free Workplace Policy
- Educating Your Employees
- Training Your Supervisors
- Creating an Employee Assistance Program
- Drug Testing in the Workplace
- Workplace Substance Abuse Prevention Resources and References
- An Implementation Guide
The kit is free and available in print and online versions. To order up to five printed copies, call 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). To access and download the online version of the kit, go to www.workplace.samhsa.gov/WPWorkit/index.html. For guidance about implementing and adapting the workplace programs, call 1-800-Workplace (1-800-967-5752), or email HELPLINE@SAMHSA.HHS.GOV.
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