US: Delaware forms under-age drinking task force

The US state of Delaware has announced the formation of a legislative task force to study the issues surrounding the underage consumption of alcohol and drunk driving.

The task force is being chaired by Brian Fischer, vice president of community relations of The Charmer Sunbelt Group, a national distributor of fine wines and spirits.

The task force will examine the problem of underage drinking and make recommendations on specific measures to combat, prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm within the state.

Delaware Speaker of the House Terry R. Spence said: "I established this task force during the past session to address what we, as policy makers, can do about the high statistics and unfortunate, and sometimes deadly, consequences of underage drinking and drunk driving.  The group is comprised of a good mix of people from various agencies, including the Office of Highway Safety, the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement, the Attorney General's Office, the Delaware Restaurant Association and the Delaware Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving—all committed to stemming the underage consumption of alcohol."

"The task force has its work cut out for it," said Fischer. "It's all about finding ways to better educate our youth and their parents about a zero tolerance policy on underage drinking.  When most teens report that they receive alcohol from family and friends, we need to do more to address the problem of social hosting in which adults host teen parties where there may be underage drinking. I look forward to serving in the capacity as chairman of the task force and appreciate Speaker Spence's efforts toward changing patterns and behaviors as they relate to teen drinking."