Massachusetts Focused On Youth Drinking, Especially On Campus

Massachusetts has a drinking problem.

According to State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Massachusetts is among the top 10 states for binge drinking. It shows in our young people.

Goldberg says 21 percent of Massachusetts residents ages 12 to 20 reported alcohol use in the past month, and 11.81 percent reported binge alcohol use in the last month, compared to national averages of 17.32 percent and 10.14 percent, respectively.

Goldberg and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC), which she controls, have renewed "Operation Safe Campus," targeting underage drinking at Massachusetts colleges and surrounding communities.

The Commonwealth first launched enhanced enforcement programs in 2005 to try and discourage underage drinking. The results to date are staggering.

Goldeberg's office says since then, the ABCC has found 11,901 minors in possession of or transporting alcoholic beverages, 3,569 adults procuring alcohol for minors and 1,690 individuals in possession of fake IDs.

Since 2005, the ABCC has seized 5,507 cases of beer and 4,680 bottles of alcohol, preventing delivery to 74,260 underage individuals.

The State House News Service reports:

Last year, the ABCC's heightened enforcement busted delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats for delivering alcohol to Boston-area college students who placed orders using fake out-of-state IDs.

 

Last year alone, the ABCC found 691 minors in possession of or transporting alcoholic beverages, 92 adults procuring alcohol for minors, 178 individuals in possession of false identification, and confiscated 289 cases of beer and 168 bottles of alcohol.

The ABCC says bars and liquor stores were charged with 263 counts of sale to underage persons.

Oxford Treatment Center has additional statistics on underage drinking in the various states, as does WiseVoter.com.