Social host: Havre made the right choice

A couple of weeks ago at the Havre City Council public hearing to consider a local social host ordinance, a teenager stood before the council and made a compelling case to prohibit people from providing a place for teens to drink alcohol.

She said, "When adults provide teens with a place to drink or alcohol to drink, it gets harder to say no … I just want my friends to be safe."

The Havre City Council agreed.

Under its authority to "protect public health, safety, and general welfare" and "enforce laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by underage persons," Havre City Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of a social host ordinance May 2.

As members of the Hill County Coalition for Rethinking Drinking, we, the undersigned, enthusiastically applaud and endorse the action of the Havre City Council in sending this very strong message that underage drinking and any enabling of underage drinking is unacceptable. It has been against the law in Havre for youth under 21 years old to possess or consume alcohol. It has also been against the law for anyone to provide alcohol for underage people to drink. It is now against the law for anyone to provide a place for underage people to drink.

Underage drinking is primarily a health and safety issue. When youth drink alcohol, they put themselves and others at risk. When adults provide alcohol for youth to drink or a place to drink it, they put people at risk. The health and safety risks from underage drinking are numerous and very serious:

• sexual and other assaults;
• thefts and vandalism;
• unplanned pregnancies and unprotected sex resulting in sexually transmitted diseases;
• poor school performance often leading to dropping out of high school or college;
• traffic crash injuries and fatalities;
• depression and suicide;
• alcohol poisoning and death;
• present or future alcohol dependence; and
• brain damage: The brain changes dramatically during adolescence and its development can be seriously inhibited by alcohol consumption. Such damage is often long-term and irreversible.

The social host ordinance will help prevent these problems by discouraging house parties, the primary place where Havre-area youth consume alcohol.

The newly passed social host ordinance reads as follows: "It is a violation of this Chapter for a social host who knows that an underage person has possessed or consumed alcohol or an alcoholic beverage in any amount at a gathering to fail to take reasonable steps to prevent the underage consumption or possession by the underage person. The social host does not have to be present at the gathering at the time the prohibited act occurs." (Note: Parents who provide a nonintoxicating amount of alcohol to their own child are exempt under Montana law.)

If a social host is aware of underage drinking on property under his or her control, they are to exercise that control by taking "reasonable steps" to prevent the drinking. "Reasonable steps" include stopping any further consumption, taking away the alcohol, and/or calling law enforcement. The social host is not under any circumstances to allow the drinking to continue without risking a criminal citation and fine.

When Havre police respond to a call, arrive at a property, house or apartment, and determine that underage drinking is taking place, they will cite minors for being in possession of alcohol. They will also determine who owns, rents, is responsible for the premises or has organized the gathering. That person may receive a social host citation, with a fine up to $500 and up to six months in jail if found guilty. The judge is also empowered to consider ordering restitution of the actual costs incurred by the city in responding to this illegal activity. Those who knowingly break the law will pay the freight.

Is the social host ordinance a magic bullet that will stop all underage drinking? No, but it is a proven community tool to assist in the prevention of underage drinking. Evidence from other communities indicates that — where a social host ordinance is supported by the community, is consistently and fairly enforced, and delivers sufficiently uncomfortable consequences for offenders — youth will have less access to alcohol and will, therefore, drink less and drink less often. House parties will be smaller, and more youth will choose not to drink.

More and more local youth are already choosing not to drink or to delay their drinking until they are more mature and of legal age to drink. We support them in their choice to live safer and healthier lives. We also thank the Havre City Council for passing this social host ordinance and thus helping make Havre a healthier and safer place for us all.

Tammi Barkus, prosecutor,

city of Havre

Sandra Wilson, coordinator, Indian

Education, Havre Public Schools

Tim Maroney, St. Jude Thaddeus

Church

Bill Lanier, director of student affairs,

MSU-Northern

LeAnn Lee, president, Student Senate,

MSU-Northern

Kathy Labati, director of ER and ICU,

Northern Montana Healthcare

Gina Dahl, Hill County attorney

Gabe Matosich, chief of police

(Interim), Havre Police Department

Jerry Vandersloot, principal, Havre

High School

Danielle Golie, public health director,

Hill County Health Department

James Dahl, Hill County detention administrator, sheriff's office

Tim Zerger, pastor, Community

Alliance Church

Brittney Christofferson, domestic

abuse program, District IV HRDC

Denise Brewer, director of student

activities, MSU-Northern

Pam Davidson, prevention specialist,

HELP Committee

Krista Solomon, executive director,

HELP Committee