AGENDA #5d

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Response to Petition on Teenage Drinking

DATE:             October 11, 2004

The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to a citizen petition requesting Town support for reducing drug and alcohol violations by teenagers.

BACKGROUND

On September 13, 2004, Ms. Dale Pratt-Wilson petitioned the Council on behalf of the Committee for Drug-Free Teenagers.  Ms. Pratt-Wilson spoke about the Committee’s concern regarding teenage drinking and drug use in Chapel Hill.  She petitioned the Council to partner with other community agencies to reduce the level of drug and alcohol use by teenagers.  She also requested stronger enforcement of alcohol control laws in Chapel Hill.

During the 2003-04 academic year a survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was administered at Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill High School as a part of a national initiative.  The survey was administered to all sophomores enrolled in the health curriculum at the time of the survey who had received parental authorization to participate.

The survey results indicated that 52% of Chapel Hill participants had consumed alcohol in the thirty days prior to the administration of the survey.  The national survey average was 44%.   The survey results also indicated that 44% of Chapel Hill participants had been offered, sold or given drugs while at school.  The national survey average was 29%.  Sixty-nine percent of Chapel Hill respondents believed that drug and alcohol abuse is a problem at their school.

DISCUSSION

The Committee for Drug-Free Teenagers has hosted two forums in the past two months to increase public awareness of the problem.  A third forum will be held at the Chapel Hill Town Hall on October 26.  Public comments at the forums have focused on several aspects of the problem of substance abuse among teenagers, including the perceived lack of parental involvement and responsibility, the perceived inadequacy or leniency of police enforcement, a perception that there is too little oversight by school officials, and the lack of sufficient counseling and treatment facilities.

In the past few months representatives of the police department have worked closely with members of the Committee to evaluate the police role in reducing teenage substance abuse.  Police Chief Gregg Jarvies has developed the following protocols that he believes will help reduce the problem of teenage alcohol possession and use:

• Increase the number and frequency of compliance checks at businesses licensed to sell alcohol;
• Conduct full criminal investigations of all teen parties where evidence is available that might help identify persons who served, sold or otherwise knowingly provided alcohol to teenagers;
• Improve record-keeping to track teenagers who repeatedly attend parties where alcohol is present, and to track persons who host teen parties where alcohol is present.
• Continue to notify all parents or guardians of teenagers identified at parties where alcohol is present;
• Work closely with bar and club owners to determine whether policies can be changed to restrict the admittance of teenagers at times when alcohol is available to patrons over twenty-one;

We agree with the Committee’s premise that the issue of drug and alcohol use by teenagers is a problem that deserves community attention.  We believe that other steps could be taken to help reduce the level of substance abuse by teenagers, including:

• Continue funding by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for School Resource Officers in all Chapel Hill secondary schools;
• Eliminate the high school, off-campus lunch program;
• Work with state Legislators to increase funding for more substance abuse treatment facilities in Orange County, and for hiring additional Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) officers;

In her petition Ms. Pratt-Wilson noted that parents are a key component in the effort to reduce teenage drug and alcohol use.  We agree that of the many potential solutions to the problem, the most important is parental awareness and involvement.  We support the Committee’s efforts to increase public awareness of this problem.  We will partner with the Committee and community agencies to support efforts to increase parental involvement, and we will support community initiatives that help parents become comfortable communicating with their children about the legal consequences of underage alcohol use and the personal consequences of substance abuse. 

We are also prepared to work with the Committee to develop a program that promotes the importance of parents meeting their teenagers at the door as they arrive home after an evening out.  We believe that teenagers would be less likely to consume alcohol or use other impairing substances at parties if they knew that they would be greeted at the door with a hug from a parent or a greeting from an adult should the teens choose to stay at a friend’s house.                    

We commend the work of the Committee for Drug-Free Teenagers and look forward to being involved in a community-wide effort to improve the health and safety of our youth.