Urgent Need for Underage Drinking on Private Property Ordinances

March 2007

A recent headline in the Home News Tribune reported that 80 underage youths between 16-18 were found in an East Brunswick home drinking beer and hard liquor that were served on tap. An 18-year-old who lives at the home and a 16-year-old boy were arrested and charged with serving alcohol to minors, a disorderly-persons offense. In the same time frame, similar incidents occurred elsewhere in the US.

In Rockford, Illinois, seven local high school basketball players were suspended from extracurricular activities because of an underaged drinking party after which one student was found dead. In Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, a local man was arrested on various charges after he allegedly held an underage drinking party in his residence. And in Salem, Massachusetts, a former secretary at a local Technical High School is facing charges stemming from a party with students at her home, where she provided them with liquor.

These are just a few examples of a growing problem local authorities, politicians and parents are facing more and more frequently. And some municipalities are starting to undertake measures to stop the madness.

North Brunswick is the latest Middlesex County municipality to pass an underage drinking ordinance. The unanimously passed ordinance could make juveniles face fines and drivers-license suspension for underage drinking. Teens without a license could have to wait to get the coveted document if charged with drinking as a minor. North Brunswick’s Alcoholic Beverages Code will also be amended to state that any person under 21 who buys, orders, serves or drinks alcoholic beverages within the township will be subject to penalties stated in the ordinance. In addition to North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Edison, Sayreville, Old Bridge and Metuchen have some form of underage drinking ordinances in place. The remaining county municipalities need to get on board. (Please refer to Steve Liga’s column on the previous page for additional details on this ordinance.)

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. Yet drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents, as shown by nationwide surveys as well as studies in smaller populations. According to data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, three-fourths of 12th graders, more than two-thirds of 10th graders, and about two in every five 8th graders have consumed alcohol in the past year.

NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. stands ready to help any community in Middlesex County to implement an underage drinking and/or private property ordinance. We can provide brochures or videos that explain the basic dangers and consequences of alcoholism. We can also supply sample ordinances that can be implemented locally.

Call or write to us today at mail@ncadd-middlesex.org or 732-254-3344.