Committee on Finance City Council Meeting October 11, 2017 Alderman Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward
Resolution
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF "WE DON'T SERVE TEENS," AN INITIATIVE BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, CONSTELLATION BRANDS BEER DIVISION, AND OTHER CHICAGO BUSINESSES TO COMBAT UNDERAGE DRINKING
Whereas, Every September, thousands of promising Chicago students enter new classes, make new friends, and begin a new year at our middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities;
Whereas, Government survey data indicates that underage drinking continues to decline in the United States and is preventable through sustained efforts of parents, family members, educators, industry members, law enforcement, and concerned citizens;
Whereas, Recent data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reinforce the dangers of illegal underage drinking among college students, which include assaults, illnesses, injury, and death .from motor vehicle crashes and other causes;
Whereas, younger persons between the ages of 12 and 14 who experiment with alcohol are most likely to obtain it from "social sources," which include their own homes, the homes of friends, adult friends and family members, a trend that continues in the most recent survey results analyzed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
Whereas, research published in 2015 by the University of Illinois Chicago found that underage drinking contributes to long-term behavioral changes that will adversely affect a young person's ability to thrive in their chosen professions, their personal relationships, and other key measures of success; and
Whereas, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse states that surveys indicate that children start to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13 and that 80% of adolescents say their parents are the biggest influence on their decision to drink; and
Whereas, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse recognizes the temptation for adolescents and young adults to try psychoactive substances, the Committee stresses that experimentation not be condoned, facilitated, or trivialized by adults; and
Whereas, We Don't Serve Teens is a research-based initiative of the Federal Trade Commission to educate adults on the basic facts about illegal underage drinking and remind them of the well-known risks of harm to the underage drinkers themselves and to the general public; and
Whereas, We Don't Serve Teens provides parents and other adults with the means to play an active role in further reducing underage drinking through greater awareness of how teens obtain alcohol and the places where most underage drinking occurs; and
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Whereas, We Don't Serve Teens provides young people with useful information on the dangers of underage drinking, the costs of violating the law, and strategies to overcome peer pressure and other negative influences; and
Whereas, Chicago-based Constellation Brands Beer Division will join with Chicago beer distributors and retailers to publicize the We Don't Serve Teens initiative in Chicago during the month of September, including billboards, transit shelter posters and digital ads at CTA locations and in elevators throughout the City;
Now, Therefore, Be It
Resolved, the City of Chicago supports the message of We Don't Serve Teens: Please don't provide alcohol to teens. It's unsafe. It's illegal. It's irresponsible.
Resolved, the City of Chicago calls upon all parents and other adults involved in the lives of teens to utilize the information available from www.dontserveteens.gov to inform other parents and friends of the measures they can take to further reduce underage drinking to protect our younger citizens and the broader Chicago community; and be it further
Resolved, that the City of Chicago calls upon all licensed alcohol beverage retailers to continue to support the We Don't Serve Teens outreach efforts in communications with their customers; and be it further
Resolved, the City of Chicago commends the Federal Trade Commission for its efforts to protect the safety of our teens and of the general public; and be it further
Resolved, the City of Chicago commends Constellation Brands Beer Division, Chicagoland beer distributors, and Chicago alcohol beverage retailers for their years of support for We Don't Serve Teens.
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