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Gathering Place
 By James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. |
It’s up to all of us to fight
deadly underage drinkingApril has been declared Alcohol Awareness Month in Hawaii. This proclamation was part of a larger campaign to keep Hawaii's children alcohol-free. Leading the campaign are the Department of Health, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other state agencies.
The legal drinking age is 21 in all 50 states. But too many adults, including parents, view underage drinking as a rite of passage -- and do nothing to stop it. This is a dangerous approach. Studies show that children who drink are at greater risk of becoming alcoholics later in life, and are more likely to drive while drunk and cause harm to themselves and others.
We need everyone's kokua to fight this disturbing trend. Unfortunately, our state ranks poorly in this area compared to other states. Hawaii's efforts to combat underage drinking, and drunken driving in general, received a "C" on the MADD's Rating the States 2002 report card. A "C" grade indicates complacency. Hawaii has seen nearly a one-third increase in drunken-driving deaths during the past three years. Faced with these rising numbers, we must no longer ignore the problem.
To protect minors and discourage underage drinking, our state Legislature has passed Senate Bill 1234, a proposed law that would impose civil liability and tougher penalties on those who sell or provide alcoholic beverages to underage drinkers, as well as those who own or control premises on which underage drinking takes place. Not surprisingly, the law is directed at retailers and bars/restaurants that illegally sell or provide alcohol to underage people. A 2002 study conducted by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii found that 69.5 percent of 190 randomly selected establishments (restaurants, brewpubs, bars, cabarets) illegally served alcohol to minors.
But in certain situations, the new law also would apply to "social hosts" -- those who serve alcohol as part of social functions. For example, parents who serve alcoholic beverages at their (underage) child's graduation party, and who allow underage drinking to take place at the party, may be subject to civil liability for any injury or damage caused by the intoxicated underage drinker.
Senate Bill 1234 will take effect as soon as it is signed by the governor. But laws alone will not solve the problem. We must all do our part to prevent drunken driving -- and we must focus special attention on illegal underage drinking. This requires a community effort. It means the involvement of parents, aunties, uncles, siblings, cousins, friends and neighbors. It also means the participation of educators, legislators, law enforcement, and establishments that sell and serve alcohol.
Graduation season will soon be upon us. Let us not revisit the graduation tragedies of recent years in which innocent lives were needlessly lost. Don't become an "enabler" by allowing underage children to drink. Remember, the life you save could be the life of someone you know.
James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. is Hawaii's lieutenant governor.