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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF "WE DON'T SERVE TEENS," AN INITIATIVE BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, CONSTELLATION BRANDS BEER DIVISION, AND COOK COUNTY DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS TO ENLIST PARENTS AND ALL ADULTS IN COMBATING UNDERAGE DRINKING
WHEREAS, the new school year is under way, and the Federal Trade Commission has sustained its "We Don't Serve Teens," consumer education campaign to raise awareness among parents, educators, and other adults of actions they can take to reduce illegal underage drinking; and
WHEREAS, despite steady progress in addressing underage drinking over the last two decades, by age 15, half of teens in the U.S. have had at least one drink, and by age 18, the proportion increases to 70 percent, making underage drinking a significant threat to the safety of young people in Cook County and in all communities where our older teens are starting college; and
WHEREAS, federally-funded surveys find that significant numbers of younger persons between the ages of 12 and 14 drank alcohol in the month before they were surveyed, and that more than 90 percent obtain alcohol from their own home, the home of a friend, or an adult family member. Those findings clearly indicate the importance that family members can play in reducing young adolescents' access to alcohol and the associated risks of injury and the early onset of serious health problems; and
WHEREAS, Middle school, high school and younger college students in Cook County are at significant risk of serious illness, injury, and death when they engage in illegal underage drinking; and
WHEREAS, A recent analysis by the Illinois Department of Transportation indicated that more than 100 drivers under the age of 21 were killed and more than 6,500 were injured in motor vehicle crashes, many of which involved illegal underage drinking and impaired teen drivers; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Trade Commission developed We Don't Serve Teens as a research-based initiative to educate adults on the basic facts and remind them of the well known risks of harm to the underage drinkers themselves and to the general public; and
WHEREAS, We Don't Serve Teens, available at www.wedontserveteens.org, provides parents and other adults with the means to play an active role in further reducing underage drinking through greater awareness of the manner in which teens obtain alcohol and the manner in which most underage drinking occurs; and
WHEREAS, We Don't Serve Teens also provides young people with useful information on the dangers of underage drinking, the costs of violating the law, and strategies to overcome peer pressure and other negative influences; and
WHEREAS, We Don't Serve Teens information is available at a web site established by the Federal Trade Commission, www.dontserveteens.gov <http://www.dontserveteens.gov>, and the information will be publicized by Cook County-based Constellation Brands Beer Division in various media and at retailer during the month of September; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, Cook County commends the Federal Trade Commission for its efforts to protect our teens and the general public and endorses the basic message: Don't serve alcohol to teens; it's unsafe, illegal, and irresponsible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Cook County calls upon all licensed alcohol beverage retailers to actively participate in We Don't Serve Teens outreach efforts to their customers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Cook County commends Constellation Brands Beer Division, Cook County beer distributors, and Cook County alcohol beverage retailers for their ongoing support for We Don't Serve Teens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Cook County calls upon all parents, civic leaders, and other adults involved in the lives of teens to post the We Don't Serve Teens logo on their social network pages and to utilize the information available from this initiative to increase awareness of the measures they can take to further reduce underage drinking in Cook County.
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