Local teens and young adults with Students Unite in Prevention & Policy (SUPP) will rally together while riding the Sprinter to raise awareness and prevent underage drinking for those hosting Halloween parties this year. Teens and young adults will be getting into the Halloween spirit by dressing up in costumes
while actively posting prevention messages on the Instagram page @whatis_SUPP. Halloween has been associated with binge drinking, particularly for young adults attending Halloween gatherings and parties. The campaign serves as a reminder for party hosts that providing alcohol to those under 21 is against the law.
WHEN: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018 FROM 3:00 TO 5:00 P.M.
WHERE: OCEANSIDE TRANSIT CENTER STATION, 313 S. CLEVELAND ST., OCEANSIDE, CA 92054
Teams of young adults will campaign while riding the Sprinter at multiple stops in Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos while educating others on local social host ordinance laws.
WHO: North County teens and young adult prevention advocates from SUPP Photo Ops: Bilingual English/Spanish speakers available for interviews.
WHY: All San Diego County cities have social host ordinances, often called “house party laws.” These laws make it illegal to provide an environment where underage drinking takes place, regardless of who provides the alcohol. Violators can face fines, cost-recovery fees for police and emergency services, and potential jail time.
According to a recent survey of more than 300 young adults in the Tri-City area, 23 percent stated they provided alcohol to someone under 21 in the past year (most often a friend or family member) (Young Adults Survey 2017-2018). Party hosts can avoid citations by verifying the age of all guests, controlling access to alcohol to those under 21 and supervising minors.
Of the more than 400 “Social Host” citations written countywide between 2008 and 2014, the vast majority (69 percent) were issued to young adults (aged 18 -25), and another 15 percent were written to juveniles under the age of 18 (Center for Community Research). Forty-five percent of all traffic fatalities on Halloween between 2011 and 2015 involved a drunk-driving-related crash, while 23 percent of all pedestrian fatalities on Halloween involved a drunk driver. (National Highway Traffic Administration).
More than 5,000 youth die each year from underage-drinking-related causes, including alcohol-related traffic fatalities, homicides, suicides, and other unintentional injuries (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).
About the North Coastal Prevention Coalition
The North Coastal Prevention Coalition aims to reduce the harm of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs in the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista through community action, education, support and collaboration. Funded in part by the County of San Diego, HHSA, Behavioral Health Services, with a contract to Vista Community Clinic. Visit http://northcoastalpreventioncoalition.org/
