CINCINNATI, OH —  In the midst of prom and graduation season, Attorney General Marc Dann; Director of Commerce Kimberly Zurz; Jill Hawkins, Executive Director, WAABI; and Jeffrey Milburn, Statewide Marketing Manager, Glazers joined Jennifer Curley of The Century Council today to launch a public awareness campaign to prevent underage drinking. “We Don’t Serve Teens,” developed by The Federal Trade Commission and The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by the nation’s leading distillers, is a new initiative designed to inform adults that providing underage youth with alcohol is unsafe, illegal, and irresponsible. The launch took place at Airy Pony Keg & Liquor on Colerain Avenue

“Study after study suggests that youth who illegally drink alcohol obtain it from individuals they know,” said Attorney General Dann. “Data show, again and again, 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 our ‘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 nearly one in five (17%) adults believe it is acceptable for parents to provide alcohol to their teenagers in their own home. Turning a blind eye is as irresponsible as putting a drink in their hands,” said Jennifer Curley 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 Ohio,” said Kimberly Zurz. “Protecting the safety, particularly the safety of our state’s most precious resource – our young people – is a top priority for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. 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 Ohio.”

Jill Hawkins added, “The We Don’t Serve Teens initiative reinforces that the majority of underage drinkers are obtaining the alcohol they drink from family and friends – not retail locations. “WAABI’s goal is to ensure that licensed establishments do not provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. But fighting drunk driving and underage drinking is a community effort – everyone participating in today’s event is key to this campaign’s success, from parents to law enforcement to retailers.”

“We must redouble our efforts and work aggressively to keep alcohol out of teen’s hands, particularly during prom and graduation season. The Century Council’s 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 Ohio,” said Jeffrey Milburn.

Glazers will distribute point of purchase materials to 430 retail establishments in Ohio 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. Elements of the campaign include television and radio public service announcement, print ad, lapel pins, register signs, and posters.

The Century Council will distribute the public service announcement to television stations that serve Ohio and has launched the campaign in 26 other markets nationwide so far. The campaign will continue to be rolled out in cities across the country through 2007. For more information on the campaign or to order materials visit www.dontserveteens.gov or www.centurycouncil.org.