Press Release

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

TEMPE, ARIZONA — Attorney General Terry Goddard;
Chris Kennedy, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc.; Bill
Weigele, President, Arizona License Beverage Association; Chief Tom
Ryff, Tempe Police Department; and Lisa Graham Keegan 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
Arizona 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 Tops Liquor Store on West University 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 Goddard 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 Goddard’s
event is one of 17 events taking place nationwide from September 10th –
September 21st.

“Study after study report that youth who illegally
drink alcohol obtain it from adults they know, family members or close
friends” said Attorney General Goddard. “Young people tell researchers
that their parents are the leading influence over their decision to
drink - or not to drink - alcohol. When you talk, they really do
listen. I hope this campaign will encourage parents to talk to their
teen about the dangers of underage drinking.”

“We are unveiling the We Don’t Serve Teenscampaign
today to help prevent underage purchases and consumption of alcohol
throughout the year. The Century Council has found that 65 percent 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 Lisa Graham Keegan 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 percent), reporting the
incident to the school (40 percent), and taking legal action, such as
file charges, sue them, etc. (34 percent).

“Among 12-20 year olds, more than 27 percent reported
past month alcohol consumption in Arizona (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration),” said Kennedy.  “Protecting the
safety, particularly the safety of our state’s most precious resource –
our young people – is a top priority for the Wine and Spirits
Wholesalers of America, Inc. 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 Arizona.”

Weigele 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 Arizona. 
Period,” said Ryff “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.”

Alliance Beverage will distribute English and Spanish
point of purchase materials to 611 retail establishments in Arizona 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. 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. Elements of the campaign
include television and radio public service announcement, print ad,
lapel pins, register signs, and posters.

The Century Council has distributed Attorney General Goddard’s radio
PSA to radio stations statewide. The radio PSA will also run on radio
stations in Phoenix and Tucson the week of September 17th 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.