By Philip Sean Ciurran, Staff Writer
State Assemblyman and Princeton municipal prosecutor Reed Gusciora (D-15) said Wednesday that it would be “very helpful” for the town to have an ordinance prohibiting underage drinking on private property, a policy that most other communities around the state have adopted.
Mr. Gusciora made the suggestion in front of about 60 people at a 90-minute forum the town held in the Witherspoon Hall municipal building on the legal and medical issues involving teen alcohol use.
He said such a measure could be constructed with penalties such as mandatory community service and alcohol counseling. He also said it would mean the difference between someone being found guilty of an ordinance violation that won’t show up on his or her criminal history.
“I’ve talked with council on a number of occasions, there have been a number of proposals,” Mr. Gusciora said. “But council has been reluctant to pass an alcohol underage drinking ordinance.”
Police Chief Nicholas K. Sutter, a fellow panelist at the forum, chimed in to clarify misconceptions about the measure. He said, for instance, that it would not give police the right to “kick a door down” and break up an underage party.
Princeton officials, who most recently looked at the idea in 2015, have declined to join other Mercer County college towns like Ewing and Lawrence that have such measures on the books. A committee examined the issue but could not agree on recommending to council to adopt such an ordinance.
“And a lot of it had to do with more safety and health over the ordinance,” Council President and committee member Lance Liverman said at the forum.
There was a concern that people would not call for help with an ordinance on the books, he said.
Earlier in the evening, two students at Princeton High School showed the findings of an Internet survey they did of around 300 ninth through 12 graders in the community to gauge their drinking habits. Jake Caddeau and Jackson Miller reported that 59 percent reported drinking anywhere from “sometimes” to multiple times per week, while the rest reported never drinking.
In addition, their survey — of all high schoolers and not just those attending Princeton High — found that 16.7 percent of students said they can have drinking parties at their homes with their parents’ permission.
Families, however, open themselves up to legal exposure if a youth were to get involved in an accident after leaving a party.
“If someone leaves your home and then, God forbid, causes an accident or property damage, you could very well be responsible for the liability of that damage done,” Mr. Gusciora said.
Panelist Princeton Police Officer Leonard Thomas goes into the schools, across grade levels, to talk to students about drug and alcohol awareness.
“What they know about drugs and alcohol at a first-grade level would shock everyone in this room,” he said. “They really know a lot about alcohol. It’s just very surprising.”
One expert warned that the earlier youth start using alcohol, the greater the risk they face of running into legal and medical problems.
“Parent attitudes matter,” said panelist Dan Smith, clinical director at Corner House, which provides treatment and prevention programs. “And if they believe that you folks find it accepting and a right of passage, they may pick up earlier.”
On the legal front, Mr. Gusciora said that in New Jersey, there are about 25,000 arrests for driving under the influence per year. About 1,000 of those are third-time offenders, he said.
He said he has introduced legislation to make a third offense a felony in the state so the case would go to Superior Court. In doing so, it would make treatment options available but also raise the punishment for people found guilty.
