Keg Registration: A Prevention Strategy

Transcription

1 Keg Registration: A Prevention Strategy Trudy Higgins-Edison, MAOM February 9, 2009

2 Keg Servings & Costs LARGE KEG 15.5 GALLONS = OZ CUPS ALSO CALLED (1/2 KEG) IMPORTED LARGE KEG 13.2 GALLONS = OZ CUPS SMALL KEG 7.75 GALLONS = 85 12OZ CUPS (1/4 KEG) PONY KEG 5 GALLONS = 55 12OZ CUPS (1/6 KEG) PARTYBALL 5 GALLONS = 55 12OZ CUPS (BEER BALL) BRAND 1/2 1/4 PARTY Budweise NAME KEG KEG BALL Bud Light Prices in Pittsburgh, PA. Busch 67.99

3 Keg vs. Case Beer Keg Volume keg size cases 1/2 keg 7 1/4 keg 3 1/2 1/6 keg 2 1/2

4 Keg registration allows tracking of beer kegs from the time of purchase to the time the empty keg is returned to the vendor. Limiting Access The purpose of these laws is to deter adults from providing keg beer to minors (limit access) and to identify and punish those who do (assist law enforcement). Assist Law Enforcement The laws are also designed to protect distributors from being accused of selling kegs to underage consumers.

5 Keg registration is about limiting access to teens... those under 21. KEGS TEENS Forbidden Fruit

6 Assist Law Enforcement Adult suppliers of teen parties. When teen parties are discovered, a high priority should be placed on penalizing adult suppliers and enablers. This priority requires substantial resources, vigilance, and persistence to be effective, but major dividends are realized. The goal is to send a clear message to the community that adult involvement in large teen parties is unacceptable, and any adult who assists or permits large teen parties will face a substantial penalty. Keg licensing ordinances provide an important enforcement tool to meet this goal.

7 Assist Law Enforcement Adult suppliers of teen parties. When teen parties are discovered, a high priority should be placed on penalizing adult suppliers and enablers. This priority requires substantial resources, vigilance, and persistence to be effective, but major dividends are realized. The goal is to send a clear message to the community that adult involvement in large teen parties is unacceptable, and any adult who assists or permits large teen parties will face a substantial penalty. Keg licensing ordinances provide an important enforcement tool to meet this goal.

8 Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

9 Why Pick on Teens? Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

10 Texas ranks 22 nd (highest for the cost per youth) Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

11 $$$ In Millions of Dollars $$$ Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

12 Percent of US Population Favoring Policies to Reduce Alcohol Problems Among Youth

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14 Federal Laws No Federal Law States Require wholesalers or retailers to attach a tag, sticker or engraving with an identification number to kegs that exceed a specified amount. Records identifying information about the purchaser, such as name, address, telephone number and driver's license.

15 Keg Registration Laws as of January 1,

16 States with Keg Registration Laws

17 A Prevention Strategy Sound Good? But

18 Anti-Keg Registration Make it a Prohibition Play April, 2004 Kegs: Weapons of Mass Drinking? I'm talking about keg registration, the latest bit of feel-good, do-nothing, antialcohol legislative legerdemain to come out of booze-bashing think-tanks (man, just look at all those hyphens!) like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It's an evil rule-a-rama that is sweeping the nation states have keg registration laws of one kind or another, along with local communities in other states...by God, it sounds like Prohibition! It's a truly ham-handed approach to underage drinking that once again punishes everyone in an attempt to stop behavior that's only illegal because of poorly reasoned, arbitrary laws. Keg registration is about "control of access," an anti-alcohol buzzword that means making it a pain in the ass to buy booze. These hurdles are ostensibly to make buying booze more difficult for underage adults -- all those 18 to 20 year, 11 month, and 29 day olds who have jobs, are fighting in Iraq, are raising children, and voting in national elections. But the real aim is to make it harder for everyone to get a drink. "Stop the kegger!" may be the battlecry, but stop

19 Keg Reg Is Not Prohibition Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

20 Not Effective The Iowa beer distributors are committed to curbing underage drinking. The distributors have long been promoters and have assisted in the implementation of alcohol awareness and responsible drinking programs, as well as promoters of responsible events, training servers, designated driver and free taxi programs. Their efforts to fight underage drinking have not included keg registration because they don't believe keg registration is an effective way to deter underage drinking. The adults who buy teenagers alcohol beverages and the teens who drink it already have shown a lack of respect for the law. There is no reason why either would be deterred simply because the keg is registered. Part of the reason that keg registration laws don't work is that they are so easy to circumvent. Under-aged offenders simply switch to other containers. Iowa beer distributors and their suppliers urge policy leaders to focus on proven methods to fight underage drinking. These measures include stricter enforcement of existing laws, more educational activities to help teens make smart decisions about whether to drink or not, and efforts to help parents talk with their children about alcohol beverages. [ IN EFFECT PASS THE BUCK TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS, AND PARENTS ]

21 Be Proactive Not Reactive Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement

22 The We Want Data Crowd While, in theory, the keg registration should allow authorities to track down the buyer of kegs found at parties with underage drinking present, there have been few if any reports of this law working to curb underage drinking. Anyone understanding validity in research knows the difficulty in proving a causal relationship.

23 Some Positive Support Significant and negative correlation with traffic fatality rates (Cohen et al., 2001). 32% drop in drunk driving & an 18% reduction in fatal crashes since implementing keg tracking in the early 1980s (Budig, 2001). Identified as a measure to reduce alcohol consumption ( Keg Tracking Legislation Trend Continues, 2003).

24 Considerations for Implementation Deposit fees Identification tags Local implementation Liability fears Other alcohol sources A Party Balls hold appx. 55 serving of 12 oz cups per ball. It holds 5.1 gallons of beer, weights 45 lbs full and is appx. 2.2 cases of 12 oz beer.

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27 Thank You! Limit Access to Teens / Assist Law Enforcement