Image Credit: edgarsnyder.com
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
According to the United Health Foundation, 9.1% of kids ages 12 to 17 have consumed an alcoholic drink within the past month.
During a November 2nd meeting of Nashville’s Metro Beer Permit Board, 15 different businesses were listed in complaints for enabling underage drinking.
The complaints range from instances of simply not asking for proof of age, to instances of selling an underage individual alcohol.
This rate of underage drinking and accessibility to substances, has reportedly caused concern from Metro and health professionals across the state.
In an interview with News Channel 2, Metro Beer Permit Board Director Benton McDonough, said that officials work to investigate between 80% and 100% of businesses that serve beer each year.
“We have regular operations, on a monthly basis, where we go out and conduct underage compliance checks,” McDonough explained.
The board director added that when a business is caught selling alcohol to an underage individual, it’s usually by mistake.
However, accident or not, each infraction can cost a business thousands of dollars in fines.
“Typically, the first offense would bring in about $1,500 for a civil penalty, and then it progresses up to $2,500 for a maximum,” said McDonough.
The Metro Beer Permit Board does give businesses a chance to crack down on this aspect of their business dealings, but if things don’t change the board can revoke their license.
“The board will discuss their concerns with the findings against an individual that continues to sell to our underage compliance checks,” McDonough said, “and at that point, they’ll typically determine whether or not to suspend it or to revoke the license.”
An August 2nd press release from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) and the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, revealed the results of a student survey on underage consumption in 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.
According to the department’s biennial TN Together Student Survey, 30% of students reported drinking alcohol at some point in their lives. Alcohol is reportedly tied with nicotine vapes, for the most used substance amongst Tennessee youth.
Six in ten students reported that it was very easy or fairly easy for them to obtain alcohol, and the average age of first alcohol consumption for these students was 13.5 years old.
“While fentanyl and other illicit drugs get the headlines they rightly deserve, alcohol is still the most misused substance among Tennesseans of all ages because it is so widely available,” stated TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams. “It’s so important for parents to talk to their children about the real risks of underage drinking.”
Ultimately, it is also important to consider the fact that these results, like many others on alcohol, nicotine, and drug usage, may be skewed.
It can be difficult to truthfully and thoroughly represent usage across any specific population through surveying and self-reporting methods.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
