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Island bars flunk test
on selling alcohol
to minors

A survey finds that minors get served
even without fake IDs


By Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.com

It is much easier for Hawaii youths to buy alcohol in bars and restaurants rather than retail stores, according to an alcohol sales survey released yesterday.

The survey, conducted by researchers from the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii for the Honolulu Liquor Commission, found that 132 of 190, or 69.5 percent, randomly selected Oahu bars, restaurants, clubs and cabarets sold alcoholic beverages to young "decoys" between 18 and 20 years old.

In 84 establishments, researchers said servers asked for the youths' identification, saw IDs that showed the "decoys" were underage, then served them anyway, the survey said.

"We were very surprised," said Cancer Research Center principal investigator Karen Glanz. "The percentage was a lot higher than we suspected.

"It's definitely higher than the noncompliance we found with the retail stores."

A survey of 297 retail stores found earlier this year that 26.3 percent sold liquor to minors.

Glanz said bar and restaurant sales to minors might be so high because previous stings and surveys have concentrated on retail stores.

"This was something new for the on-premises outlets. ... They need to start self-policing," she said. "Part of the message now is that the industry is going to have to be more aggressive to try and turn this thing around."

Each decoy who went into a liquor-serving establishment was accompanied by one or two adult liquor investigators and an adult researcher.

Glanz said that at no time did any of the decoys lie about their age or use fake identification.

At sites where alcohol was sold to the young decoy, liquor investigators on scene entered the establishment and issued a citation to the server and the licensee.

Glanz said the Cancer Research Center's participation in the study evolved from previous research it had done on illegal sales of tobacco to minors.



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