Surgeon General renews underage drinking issue
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Acting U.S. Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu issued what he is calling his first national Call to Action on Tuesday March 6, intended to prevent and reduce underage drinking in America.
Moritsugu held a press conference on March 6 for the express purpose of introducing this plan; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services later issued an accompanying press release.
The statement was largely concerned with the consistently high levels of drinking among American teens, in contrast to what it called "a significant decline in tobacco and illicit drug use among teens" in recent years.
In his speech at the press conference, Moritsugu reported that there are over 11 million underage drinkers in America today, and over 5,000 alcohol-related deaths each year among people under the age of 21.
"Too many Americans consider underage drinking a rite of passage to adulthood," Moritsugu said.
"There's no question that underage drinking and particularly underage binge drinking is a critical problem in this country. That's true at all colleges, as well as Johns Hopkins," said Dennis O'shea, Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Hopkins.
Hopkins has its own problems with underage drinking, a fact that is acknowledged by the bars surrounding the university and in Charles Village. These establishments attempt to take extra precautions when it comes to checking IDs, given that many of them are predominately "student bars."
Steven, a bartender at PJ's, said "We've got a door person, two on weekends. They card everyone that comes." Since he works behind the bar, he said it is not his responsibility to check IDs. The bar's owner, however, spot checks on busier days.
Dave, the manger of popular team hangout spot The Den, also said, "We're 100 percent on checking ID; we're strictly 21 and over."
Kaili, a bartender at Rocky Run, where the customer base is not necessarily as saturated with students, said, "Our policy is to card anyone who looks like they're under 30, some of the ladies are actually flattered that you'd ask them for their IDs. But because there's always the danger that a person you don't card might be a police cadet."
In an attempt to ensure that underage students are not drinking at these establishments, the police utilize cadet checks. Police cadets may show up as underage drinkers, and if they are not carded, the establishment may be fined or raided.
"We're super vigilant. We make sure we card everyone underage," Kaili said. But she admitted that even if they suspect a state ID is a fake, they do not have the authority to confiscate it. She also said that generally, if underage drinkers are carded they don't even present an ID--they simply say they have left their ID at home. This presents a problem in that there are very few factors that can strongly discourage underage students from attempting to purchase alcohol at local establishments.
Despite the measures in place to prevent underage drinking at local bars, it is possible for underage students to find alcohol, particularly at events such as fraternity parties.
Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell believes that underage drinking is a problem at Hopkins, as it is at most campuses across the country.
"I feel that our main responsibility as a university is to teach students to make responsible decisions and be responsible for their behavior and I would fold alcohol education into this philosophy," she wrote in an e-mail.
"Although students can -- and do -- drink before the age of 21, it's in their own best interest not to. Johns Hopkins students need to realize that it's not just a legal issue but also a healthy and safety issue. It puts your life in danger and the lives of your friends in danger," O'Shea said.
The Surgeon General had a similar opinion. At his press conference, Moritsugu expressed concern about a number of alcohol related issues, including the increased likelihood of life-long alcohol problems in children who start drinking before the age of 15, and the concern that underage drinking may effect both short and long-term cognitive functioning.
"The bottom line is that research provides more reasons than ever before for parents and other adults to be concerned about the effects of underage drinking on our nation's children, and to take steps to prevent and reduce underage drinking," Moritsugu said.
For his part, O'Shea recommended that Hopkins students give some serious thought to what the Surgeon General had to say in his Call to Action.
Montisugu's ultimate goal with this Call to Action is to completely change America's prevalent cultural attitude towards alcohol and underage drinking.- -- Cindy Chen also contributed to this article.
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