Press Release

Public service announcements to air statewide urging parents to speak up and discourage underage drinking

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Attorney General Steve Carter;
Jim Purucker, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Indiana; Jim Calvert,
Olinger Distributing; Dave Heath, Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco
Commission; Chief Michael Spears, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
Department; Brad Rider, United Package Liquors; and Erik Strickland of
The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by
Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Brown-Forman; Constellation Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO;
Future Brands LLC; Hood River Distillers, Inc; and Sidney Frank
Importing Co. Inc., joined forces today to launch a public awareness
campaign in Indiana to prevent underage drinking. The initiative,
called “We Don’t Serve Teens,” was
developed by The Federal Trade Commission and is designed to inform
adults that providing underage drinkers with alcohol is unsafe,
illegal, and irresponsible.

Today’s launch at United Package Liquors on Georgetown Road was held in conjunction with “We Don’t Serve Teens Week,”
a national effort aimed at educating adults on how youth obtain the
alcohol they drink and how to discourage underage drinking not only
during the back to school season, but also throughout the year.
Attorney General Carter will be working with local and national
partners to distribute “We Don’t Serve Teens”
materials to make adults aware of the legal consequences associated
with providing alcohol to people under 21. Attorney General Carter’s
event is one of seventeen events taking place nationwide from September
10th – September 21st.

“Study after study suggests that youth who illegally drink alcohol
obtain it from individuals they know,” said Attorney General Carter.
“Those same studies reveal that kids cite their parents as the leading
influence over their decision to drink - or not to drink - alcohol.
When you talk, they really do listen. It is my hope this campaign will
encourage parents to start and continue a dialogue with their teen
about the dangers of underage drinking.”

“We are unveiling the We Don’t Serve Teens
campaign today to help prevent underage purchases and consumption of
alcohol throughout the year. The Century Council has found that 65% of
the youth say that they get the alcohol they drink from family and
friends, meaning they get it from their parents, their friends’
parents, older siblings or family members or older friends, with or
without permission. Turning a blind eye is as irresponsible as putting
a drink in their hands,” said Erik Strickland of The Century Council.

To determine parents’ perspective on the issue of adults providing
alcohol to underage youth, The Century Council commissioned a survey of
1,000 adults.  The results show that, overwhelmingly, parents do not
believe it is acceptable for other adults to provide beverage alcohol
to underage youth.  Ninety-six percent of adults said it is
unacceptable for another parent or other adult to provide alcohol to
their teenager without their permission.  Further, all survey
respondents said if they learned another parent or adult provided
alcohol to their teenager without their permission, they would consider
taking recourse against the other parent, or their child.   

The top actions adults would take include:

• speaking with my child about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking (93%),
• call that adult and express my objections/feelings/opinions (86%),
• restrict my child's time at that family's house (80%),
• limit my child's relationship with that family (76%),
• notify other parents (74%), and
• punish my own child (69%). 

Other actions adults report they would take if such an incident
occurred include calling the police (44%), reporting the incident to
the school (40%), and taking legal action, such as file charges, sue
them, etc. (34%).

“Among 12-20 year olds, more than 28 percent reported
past month alcohol consumption in Indiana (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration),” said Purucker.  “Protecting the
safety, particularly the safety of our state’s most precious resource –
our young people – is a top priority for the Wine & Spirits
Wholesalers of Indiana.  Restaurants, wholesalers, retailers – all of
us – need to play a role in the fight against underage drinking, to
lower, and hopefully eliminate, underage drinking in Indiana.”

Calvert added, “We are working hard to ensure that
teens do not have access to alcohol. But we can’t do it alone. It is
our hope these point of sale materials will remind adults that serving
alcohol to underage youth is unsafe, illegal and irresponsible.”  

Underage drinking is against the law in Indiana. 
Period,” said Chief Spears.  “While it is certainly important to
discourage underage sales, kids get alcohol from other sources, and
kids can be very creative about obtaining alcohol. Parents, retail
establishments, community groups – we all have a role to play in the
fight against underage drinking.”

Rider added, “I am on the front lines of the battle
against underage drinking every day in my role at United Package
Liquors. The We Don’t Serve Teens campaign is just one of the many
examples of how we can work to prevent underage drinking and purchasing
of alcohol here in Indiana. I am proud to wear my lapel pin and, as you
can see, we have posted the “We Don’t Serve Teens” materials throughout
the store to display how committed we are to fighting underage drinking
and keeping Indianapolis’ teens safe.”

“Alcohol is accessible to our youth far too often, particularly now
that we are in the back to school season. Clearly, we have a lot of
work to do.  Fighting drunk driving and underage drinking is absolutely
a community effort – everyone participating in today’s event is key to
this campaign’s success, from parents and grandparents to law
enforcement to retailers,” said Heath. “We are committed to doing our
part in this fight against underage drinking.”

Olinger Distributing and National Wine and Spirits have
purchased 2,000 packages of point of purchase materials and will
distribute them along with materials provided by the Century Council to
retail establishments in Indiana.  Additionally, the Wine and Spirits
Wholesalers of America, Inc. will distribute at least 60,000 packages
of We Don’t Serve Teens materials to retailers nationwide.  The Century
Council has distributed Attorney General Carter’s radio PSA to radio
stations in Indiana as a reminder to parents and other adults that
providing alcohol to teens can mean serious consequences and to
encourage them to speak up about underage drinking.

The “We Don’t Serve Teens”
campaign involves a coalition of public and private sector
organizations brought together by the Federal Trade Commission, that
includes The Century Council, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America,
Inc., the U.S. Department of Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, Students
Against Destructive Decisions, the National Liquor Law Enforcement
Association, the Responsible Retailing Forum, the National Association
of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., the National Consumers
League, and the American Beverage Licensees. Elements of the campaign
include a television public service announcements, print ad, lapel
pins, cold case stickers, register signs, and posters.  For more
information on the campaign or to order materials visit www.dontserveteens.gov.

Launched in 1991, The Century
Council is funded by America's leading distillers. The Council's
mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding beverage
alcohol and discourage all forms of irresponsible consumption through
education, communications, research, law enforcement and other
programs. For more information on the Council, log onto
www.centurycouncil.org.