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2008 Children's
Agenda
Item 8. ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, and
OTHER DRUGS
| POLICY RECOMMENDATION: The 2008 Children's Agenda supports
amending the "Social Host Law," which prohibits adults from providing alcohol
and drugs to minors, to include an increase in penalties regardless of child death or injury. |
Prevent Youth Access to Alcohol
It is illegal for minors under 21 to purchase,
possess or consume alcohol, with good reason. Yet underage
drinking is widespread in Oklahoma. The Youth Risk Behavior
Survey reports that three of every four Oklahoma high school
students have consumed alcohol and over one-quarter engage in
episodic heavy drinking (bingeing on five or more drinks in a
row within the last month). The average age when youth first try
alcohol is 11 years olds for boys and 13 years old for girls.
The consequences of underage drinking are well documented.
Alcohol is a factor in the four leading causes of death among
persons ages 10 to 24: automobile accidents, unintentional
injuries, homicide and suicide. Alcohol also impairs a young
person’s ability to make judgments about their sexual behavior,
resulting in increased risks for unplanned pregnancies, sexual
assault and STDs.
- Students polled reported that alcohol is “easy” to obtain.
Underage drinkers annually consume almost 20% of all alcohol
sold in Oklahoma
- Children cite “home” and “friend’s home” as the most common
places for drinking
|
Percentage of Oklahoma Students
Reporting Alcohol Use |
| |
Grade 6 |
Grade 8 |
Grade 10 |
Grade 12 |
| On the last day I had alcohol, I drank at.. |
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| Home |
68.2 |
62.2 |
56.2 |
57.3 |
| Friend's Home |
41.2 |
61.8 |
74.8 |
81.7 |
| A School Activity |
10.3 |
13.8 |
20.9 |
21.3 |
| School |
3.2 |
7.2 |
10.2 |
11.2 |
| Near School |
7.6 |
11.6 |
15.8 |
17.1 |
| In a Car |
14.3 |
25.4 |
37.0 |
41.3 |
| A Party |
30.2 |
46.8 |
61.3 |
71.5 |
| A Park |
9.4 |
13.9 |
16.7 |
16.5 |
Parents and other adults who host parties often say they are
protecting their kids by allowing them to drink at home. Yet
alcohol is an addictive, mood-altering chemical that is
potentially more dangerous than “hard” drugs in several ways.
Alcohol is legal for adults to obtain, and glamorized in the
media and in people’s homes. But kids are not “social drinkers.”
They drink to get intoxicated and out of control, which can lead
to violence and destructive behaviors.
Oklahoma’s current Social Host law only penalizes adults hosting
drinking parties in the case of a death or great bodily injury.
Intermediate penalties are needed to hold adults responsible for
their actions.
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