Chip Mcara of Trenton
We are at the start of a new school year, and college-bound children will be distanced from the protective factors of parents and familiar friends who have enabled them to abstain from alcohol use. They will now be entering unfamiliar territory and will be pressured to conform in order to be accepted. Beer keg parties are often seen as a rite of passage for many young adults, but the fact is, kegs contribute to high-risk underage drinking that could result in tragedy.
Because kegs enable one adult over the age of 21 to purchase and supply alcohol to dozens of young people, they are often associated with heavy drinking that can lead to accidents and even death by alcohol poisoning. Keg registration is one way to help reduce the high risks of underage drinking associated with beer kegs.
The first beer keg tracking program began in response to a young person’s alcohol-related drowning in Massachusetts 10 years ago. Since then, many states and numerous local jurisdictions have enacted keg registration laws, which hold adults legally responsible for supplying beer kegs to underage youth. However, New Jersey has yet to enact a keg registration law.
Please help prevent underage drinking and its tragic consequences by contacting your state representatives to express your support for keg registration laws. In Mercer County, contact Senator Shirley Turner (609-530-3277), Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (609-292-0500), and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (609-292-0500). You may also wish to contact your local elected officials to express your support for a municipal ordinance requiring keg registration.
Chip Mcara,
Community Educator Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
Bellevue Avenue Trenton
