2012 Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking: Implications for Public Health

Congress enacted the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (the STOP Act) in 2006. It requires the Federal Government to conduct an annual report on, among other topics, underage-drinking-prevention policies, enforcement practices, and programs in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. The 2012 STOP Act Report is scheduled to be released in 2012. It will include summaries of 23 state policies and, for the first time, the results of a detailed survey answered by every State. The survey covers three key topics: (1) enforcement practices, including retailer compliance with laws prohibiting alcohol service to minors and sanctions imposed for violations; (2) underage drinking prevention programs, including data on State best-practice standards, State interagency collaborations, and the number of people served by these programs; and (3) estimates of the State funds invested in underage drinking enforcement and prevention programs. The status of State underage drinking policies and the data reported by the States in the survey have important implications for efforts to reduce underage drinking. This presentation will describe and analyze the state policies and survey results, both on a State-by-State level and on a collective level to identify national trends in prevention policy, programs and enforcement. The presentation will also analyze the extent to which States have adopted best practices that have been identified by various Federal sources.