In substance abuse prevention partnerships, community groups sponsored by the South County Collaborative, South County residents have been involved for the last year in “environmental strategies” to increase the success of substance abuse prevention. Just what are environmental strategies?
The environment is the actual setting where an individual lives, works or recreates. Most of the substance abuse prevention has been focused on programs that target the individual’s choices and decisions on whether or not to use alcohol. We don’t usually question the environment that has an impact on the individual. Our “environments” are our downtowns, our schools, our business districts, our communities
Morgan Hill residents are working on a social host ordinance, for example. In Morgan Hill, current ordinances regarding parties where there is underage drinking are loose and inconsistently applied. In the community, we claim to support substance abuse prevention, but the ordinances that regulate our environment say otherwise when there are no penalties for breaking the law and allowing young people under the age of 21 to consume alcohol in our homes.
Another key environmental strategy is to restrict the number of places where alcohol can be sold. For example, the Alcohol and Beverage Control declared Gilroy a “moratorium city” because of its high concentration of liquor-selling convenience stores. Other communities take a look at not only the number of outlets, but also the location, such as not next to a middle or high school.
Yet another is to impact the price of products which affects consumption rates. Right now, alcopops, those fruity-flavored alcoholic beverages, such as watermelon or raspberry-flavored vodka (called Smirnoff Ice) or Mike’s Hard Lemonade are taxed as beer, which is significantly lower than distilled spirits. Lower price means more consumption.
Alcopops are designed and marketed for entry level drinkers that an American Medical Association survey entitled “Girlie Drinks,” released this past March, found that girls as young as 13 were drinking alcopops and that one-third of teen girls have tried them. According to the AMA, while underage drinking decreased in the last few decades, alcopops consumption is on the rise among girls. The soda-like, mixed drinks in a bottle are popular with this age group because girls say they taste better than beer and other alcoholic drinks.
Another study last year showed that 78 percent of eighth graders who drink regularly consume alcopops. This percentage declines as the drinkers get older, showing the popularity of the alcopops to young tastes.
Based on conversations with 304 California youth in 41 groups from 16 counties, roughly half boys and half girls, survey takers noted their perceptions about alcopops:
“You can’t get drunk off alcopops”
“It’s a drink you can control without passing out. You feel comfortable drinking them.”
“Most alcopops are very popular because it doesn’t have any effect and it’s like a soft drink.”
“The more and more you see it, the more obligated you feel to taste it. If it tastes good, you will want more.”
“Hard liquor takes your breath away; an alcopop is a smooth drink.”
“Mike’s Hard Lemonade has really cute bottles, so I want to drink it.”
Developed and distributed mostly by distillers, they are often produced through licensing arrangements with brewers. Many alcopops carry distilled spirits’ brand names (e.g., Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver, and Skyy Blue). To make an alcopop, a liquid is derived from malt and filtered to remove most or all taste, odor and alcohol. “Flavoring,” which includes distilled alcohol, is then added to the liquid. Although the beverages contain distilled alcohol (often injected after most or all brewed alcohol has been removed), the alcohol industry distributes these products as beer.
The erroneous beer classification has three main advantages for producers that make it easier to market the products to underage drinkers: alcopops can be advertised on electronic media; they are available in a greater number of retail locations, particularly those likely to be frequented by underage drinkers; and are taxed at substantially lower tax rates, keeping the product inexpensive.
Following the lead of other groups across the state that have been working on this issue for a year, Santa Clara County is involved in litigation against the Board of Equalization to compel the BOE to properly tax and classify alcoholic beverages. As you know, I’m often critical of county action, but this pursuit of distillers skirting the rules is a good use of our tax dollars.
Columnist Dina Campeau is a wife, mother of two teens and a resident of Morgan Hill. Her work for the last seven years has focused on affordable housing and homeless issues in Santa Clara County. Her column will be published each Friday. Reach her at
dc******@ch*****.net
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