Enforcement of the legal minimum drinking age in the United States.
We studied patterns and levels of enforcement of the legal drinking age in the United States. Major findings include: (1) rates of enforcement of the legal drinking age are very low; (2) actions against outlets or adults providing alcohol to youth are particularly rare; (3) two of every thousand occasions of illegal drinking by youth under 21 are estimated to result in an arrest; (4) five of every 100,000 youth drinking occasions are estimated to result in an Alcohol Beverage Control agency action against an alcohol outlet; (5) penalties appear too lenient to deter providers of alcohol; and (6) levels of enforcement of the drinking age vary significantly across states. Recommendations for public policy and enforcement actions include: (1) increased enforcement effort be directed at those who provide alcohol to underage youth; (2) significant increases in the numbers of Alcohol Beverage Control enforcement personnel are needed; (3) one or more officers in each local enforcement agency should be designated as the alcohol control officer; (4) regular sting operations in retail alcohol outlets are needed; (5) all police-attended alcohol-involved incidents should include a record of the source of the alcohol; and (6) effective long-term efforts will require attention to the broader environment that encourages youth drinking.
Wagenaar
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AC
University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis 55454-1015.
Wolfson
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016495:Police; D011640:Public Policy; D014481:United States