We are a growing network of Minnesota citizens working together to reduce youth access to alcohol and save lives.

When we talk about preventing or reducing teen drinking, our first instinct may be to focus on the teens. Let's teach youth how to "say no" or let's arrest or fine those youth who are caught illegally drinking. Our second instinct is to target parents-if parents supervised their teens better or had family rules against drinking, youth would stop drinking. Focusing just on teens and their parents, however, will not eliminate youth drinking. These approaches ignore the broader, pro alcohol environment that teens are exposed to every day. Should we be surprised that most youth drink alcohol when they see advertisements that glamorize alcohol use in their neighborhoods, on T.V., and in magazines? And maybe more importantly, why should teens avoid alcohol when adults in the community gladly sell or give them alcohol?

All our resources spent on educating youth and parents and enforcement against teenage drinkers has a limited effect unless we change the environment. Let's take action to prevent adults in our communities from illegally selling or providing alcohol to underage youth. Let's take action to reduce the number of pro-alcohol advertisements our youth see each day. We can change the environment by implementing and enforcing institutional, local, and state policies that make it less likely that youth can get alcohol.

Join us, our task is to strengthen and change local and state policies that would hold both commercial and individual adults accountable for selling or giving alcohol to underage persons.