Statement For Record Youth Alcohol Bills 2014

Susie Cambria, susie.cambria@gmail.
com
Statement for the Record

To the
Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs

About
B20-478, "First-Time Sale To Minor Penalty Revision Act Of 2013"
B20-503, "Alcoholic Beverage Window Advertisement Limitation Act Of 2013"
B20-571, "Ward 7 Alcohol License Limitation Act Of 2013"
B20-598, "Alcohol Sales To Minors Enforcement Amendment Act Of 2013"

By
Susie Cambria, Ward 7 Resident and Public Policy Consultant

Submitted
October 26, 2014

Susie Cambria, susie.cambria@gmail.com

Introduction
Councilmember Orange and members of the Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs, thank
you for the opportunity to comment on the four alcoholic beverage bills under consideration by the committee.
I am Susie Cambria, Ward 7 resident and long-time public policy analyst and child advocate. I am writing in
support of four bills under review at the October 27, 2014 public hearing:

Alone, the bills will help accomplish two things. First, the proposed legislation provides the additional might
behind the community's efforts to reduce access to and use of alcohol, especially in Ward 7 where incidence is
particularly prevalent. Second, the bills help further the public policy goal of reducing youth access to alcohol.

Combined, however, the legislation presents a definitive statement that promotion of alcohol and sales to
minors are no longer tolerated.

What we know about young people and alcohol
I think we can all agree that teens, and more broadly those under 21, should not consume alcohol. I also think
we can agree that adults must take a great deal of responsibility for limiting youth access to alcohol; we are,
after all, the adults.

The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 2013 is shown in Table 1: 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data
by Sex for the District of Columbia, All Grades and Table 2: District of Columbia, Youth Risk Behavior Survey,
Selected Indicators, 2007 and 2013. This data indicates that more than half 58.4% of the DC youth surveyed
have ever had at least one drink of alcohol and nearly one-third have had a drink of alcohol in the past 30 days.
More troublesome are these two data points:
22% of DC's young people surveyed report having had alcohol before the age of 13
Girls report more alcohol than do boys, even if only slightly. As bad is alcohol use is for boys, it is worse
for girls. The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center reports that girls' alcohol behavior is

Table 1: 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data by Sex for the District of Columbia,
All Grades
1

Alcohol and Other Drug Use Question
Total
%
Total N
Female
%
Female
N
Male
%
Male N
Ever had at least one drink of alcohol (on at least 1
day during their life) 58.4 9,859 61.9 5,389 54.5 4,400
Drank alcohol before age 13 years (for the first
time other than a few sips) 22.0 10,199 20.4 5,556 23.4 4,557
Currently drank alcohol (at least one drink of
alcohol on at least 1 day during the 30 days before
the survey) 31.4 9,534 33.5 5,256 28.7 4,219
Had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (within
a couple of hours on at least 1 day during the 30
days before the survey) 12.3 9,847 12.4 5,418 12.0 4,363

becoming more like that of boys, meaning that more girls are drinking while the overall incidence
declines. According to Dr. Kimberly Williams, Clinical Neuropsychologist at the NYU Child Study Center,
2

Increasingly, girls age 12-17 report higher stress levels than boys. This stress is linked to
interpersonal relationship distress between peers and family and worries about achievement.
Furthermore, parents grossly underestimate the risks of their preteen daughters' exposures to
the influence of alcohol and misjudge the seriousness of the issue.

Gender studies show that many girls strive to be "one of the boys." Drinking and partying like
boys provides a false sense of liberation and empowerment. In addition, research shows that
having male friends increases the risk of alcohol use; spending time with boys makes girls feel
more comfortable with sensation seeking and contributes to more adult-like precocious
behavior. Girls find that alcohol has a disinhibiting effect that enhances their perception of being
more confident, increases social comfort, and offers feelings of being sexually alluring. Being a
socially gregarious and sexually provocative partner increases female popularity in many circles.

The Ward 7 Safe and Drug-Free Communities Coalition (Coalition) has performed a great service with their
investigation of youth and drugs and alcohol. Real Talk Ward 7 Qualitative & Quantitative Research
Addressing Youth Substance Involvement In the District of Columbias Ward 7 and Research Addressing Youth
Substance Involvement in the District of Columbia's Ward 7 Key Findings bring science and rigor to the problem.
In their research, the Coalition digs deeper into youth and alcohol in Ward 7.

1
http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/ accessed October 24, 2014.
2
Girls and Alcohol, http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/girls_alcohol accessed October 26, 2014.

Table 2: District of Columbia, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Selected Indicators, 2007 and 2013
3

Alcohol and Drug Indicators
2007 2013 Change
2007 - 2013 Range Number Range Number
Ever had at least one drink of alcohol (on at least 1 day during their
life)
66.8 (64.5
69.0)
3,415
58.4 (57.2
59.7)
9,859 Decrease
Drank alcohol before age 13 years (for the first time other than a
few sips)
25.4 (23.2
27.8)
3,678
22.0 (21.1
23.0)
10,199 Decrease
Currently drank alcohol (at least one drink of alcohol on at least 1
day during the 30 days before the survey)
34.2 (31.9
36.6)
3,034
31.4 (30.2
32.5)
9,534 Decrease
Usually obtained the alcohol they drank by someone giving it to
them (among students who currently drank alcohol)
36.8 (32.7
41.0)
999

Had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (within a couple of
hours on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey)
12.7 (11.1
14.5)
3,551
12.3 (11.6
13.2)
9,847 Decrease
Ever used marijuana (one or more times during their life)
39.8 (37.1
42.6)
3,430

Tried marijuana before age 13 years (for the first time)
11.4 (10.0
13.0)
3,513
17.5 (16.6
18.5)
10,016 Increase
Currently used marijuana (one or more times during the 30 days
before the survey)
20.5 (18.6
22.6)
3,448
32.2 (31.0
33.3)
9,923
Increase
Ever used cocaine (any form of cocaine, such as, powder, crack, or
freebase, one or more times during their life)
5.9 (4.67.5) 3,555 6.4 (5.97.0) 9,924
Increase
Ever used inhalants (sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol
spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high, one or more
times during their life)
10.7 (9.3
12.3)
3,645
13.4 (12.6
14.2)
9,825
Increase

3
http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/ accessed October 24, 2014.
The Coalition has found that in the previous year, 33% of 6
th
12
th
grade students surveyed had consumed. In
the past 30 days, nearly 18% of 6
th
12
th
grade students surveyed had consumed alcohol.
4
The Coalition also
found, through focus groups,
5

Exposure to substance use begins at a young age.
o Children as young as 7 years old have easy access to alcohol.
o Youth and adults report that most youth will have their first drink by age 13.
Many youth make the choice to consume alcohol in Ward 7.
o Alcohol is widely available to youth.
o Drinking alcohol is considered a natural rite of passage for youth.
o Many retailers will openly sell alcohol to underage youth.
o Because alcohol is a legal substance, many adults do not consider it to be illegal for minors to
consume.
o Youth respondents report that drinking alcohol makes them feel better about themselves and
more social with others.

The Coalition has also found that alcohol is the path from no drug use to marijuana use for a substantial number
of young people. So while alcohol use may wane as cohorts age and as YRBS and other assessment tools are
implemented every other year, more young people are turning to marijuana.

The bottom line: All this research is important: It shows that those who support tighter controls on systems are
not crying wolf, that in fact, too many children and teens have access to alcohol. It also shows that more
remains needs to be done to protect the city's youth from the bad things that often come and are associated
with alcohol use think depression, poor self-esteem, sexual abuse, and the like. This is where the four bills
come in.

4
Ward 7 Safe and Drug-Free Communities Coalition, Research Addressing Youth Substance Involvement in the District of
Columbia's Ward 7 Key Findings, December 2013, p. 3.
5
Ward 7 Safe and Drug-Free Communities Coalition, Research Addressing Youth Substance Involvement in the District of
Columbia's Ward 7 Key Findings, December 2013, p. 4.


The increase of fines for selling alcohol to minors is essential if the District of Columbia is to further reduce youth
access to alcohol. We must make violating the law painful.

This bill is inextricably linked to B20-598, "Alcohol Sales To Minors Enforcement Amendment Act Of 2013."
Fines, together with increased surveillance, will have better results. In fact, the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention's best practices guide on reducing youth access to alcohol includes using fines as a self-
supporting mechanism for surveillance and compliance.

RAND has found
6
that advertisements play a role in youth drinking:
"Exposure to alcohol ads is directly linked to subsequent drinking in mid-adolescence."
"The ad effect is real."

RAND's findings are consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2010 policy statement Children,
Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media which advocated for restrictions in marketing to young people.
From the policy statement:
7

According to the research, the effects of all of this advertising are increasingly clear. A sample of 9- to
10year-olds could identify the Budweiser frogs nearly as frequently as they could Bugs Bunny. In a study
of more than 3500 South Dakota students, 75% of 4th-graders and nearly 90% of 9
th
graders recognized
the Budweiser ferret ad. Many studies have revealed that exposure to alcohol advertising results in
more positive beliefs about drinking and is predictive of drinking during early adolescence and young
adulthood.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) asserts that reducing the density of alcohol outlets which includes
limiting licenses is "an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms."
8, 9

Specifically, the paper's authors write:
10

6
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9073/index1.html accessed October 24, 2014.
7
http://www.camy.org/washingtonupdate/AAP_Calls_For_Restrictions_on_Alcohol_Marketing.html accessed October 24,
2014.


Numerous studies have found a significant relationship between alcohol outlet density and alcohol
consumption and alcohol-related harms. Examples of such findings include the following:
In Los Angeles County, researchers estimated that every additional alcohol outlet was associated
with 3.4 additional violent incidents per year (8).
In Cleveland, researchers estimated that every additional bar added to a city block resulted in
3.4 more crimes being committed on that block per year (9).
In New Orleans, researchers predicted that a 10% increase in the density of outlets selling
alcohol for off-premise consumption would increase the homicide rate by 2.4% (10).
Researchers in Newark, New Jersey, found an almost 1-to-1 relationship between alcohol
outlets and crime; that is, a slightly less than 1% decrease in the density of alcohol outlets would
result in a 1% drop in violent crime (11).

A review of 88 studies on alcohol outlet density and public health by Campbell et al (7) concluded that
greater outlet density was associated with a variety of public health and safety concerns, including
increased alcohol consumption, alcohol-impaired driving, injury, crime, violence, neighborhood
disruption, and other harms. The review noted the relative lack of research on the health effect of
reducing alcohol outlet density most natural experiments have taken place in environments of
increasing density. One study found that a decrease in the number of outlets (as a result of
remonopolization, not density regulation) selling medium-strength beer in Sweden led to significant
declines in hospitalizations for acute intoxication, suicides, and motor vehicle crashes (12). Studies of
bans on alcohol sales in isolated communities also demonstrated the positive health effects of reducing
the physical availability of alcohol (7). A nonpeer-reviewed case study of changes in land use and

8
Centers for Disease Control, Using Public Health and Community Partnerships to Reduce Density of Alcohol Outlets, April
11, 2013, http://www.camy.org/press/PDFs-
In%20the%20News/Using%20Public%20Health%20and%20Community%20Partnerships%20to%20Reduce%20Density%20of
%20Alcohol%20Outlets.pdf accessed October 24, 2014.
9
"Excessive alcohol use includes binge drinking (defined as 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women on 1 or
more occasions), heavy drinking (more than 1 drink per day on average for women or more than 2 for men), and any
drinking among underage youth or women who are pregnant." Centers for Disease Control, Using Public Health and
Community Partnerships to Reduce Density of Alcohol Outlets, April 11, 2013, page 1. http://www.camy.org/press/PDFs-
10
Centers for Disease Control, Using Public Health and Community Partnerships to Reduce Density of Alcohol Outlets, April
11, 2013, page 2. http://www.camy.org/press/PDFs-


nuisance abatement provisions in Vallejo, California, estimated that such changes led to a 53% reduction
in alcohol-outletrelated police calls for service (13).

As someone who has worked at a liquor store I worked at a package store in Connecticut for several years,
including a stint as manager in the 1980s regular compliance checks are essential. In my experience, secret
shoppers and police surveillance at popular times of the year, think prom and July 4
th
, made a dramatic
difference in the behavior of retailers. While the owner of the store where I worked was absolutely against
selling alcohol and cigarettes to those who were underage, the entire staff was well aware of those retailers
who regular sold to minors. What stopped, or at least slowed sales to minors, at the offending stores were
compliance checks and police cars parked outside the stores.

Certainly, compliance checks and other methods have a cost. But as suggested in the section about B20-478,
"First-Time Sale To Minor Penalty Revision Act Of 2013," compliance can be funded by fines.

Conclusion
Thank you, again, for the opportunity to weigh in on your review of the four youth-related alcohol bills before
the committee. I urge you to support the proposed legislation; it will go a long way toward reducing youth
access to alcohol.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander for her leadership on this
important issue.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have. You may email (susie.cambria@gmail.com) or call (301-832-2339)
me.

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