GETTING TOUGH in NEW HAMPSHIRE

WITH ITS
LARGE
ultra-discount state liquor stores, New Hampshire draws
shoppers in from near and far. But if you’re underage,
buying in the Live Free or Die state is anything but a
breeze. A national law enforcement group says the Bureau of
Enforcement in the New Hampshire Liquor Commission is
leading the charge in the war on underage drinking, illegal
gambling and drug use. The bureau was singled out for its
work during a national meeting of the Annual Leadership
Conference for Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws with the
Liquor Law Enforcement Agency of the Year Award. The honor
gave kudos to the bureau’s Ripple Effect program and
acknowledged its “multifaceted” approach, accomplished
through statewide compliance checks and other
investigations, according to a prepared release from the
state. In addition, the award recognized the bureau’s
influence on compliance rates: While nationwide, fewer than
4O percent of stores and other businesses were found to be
following laws regulating liquor and tobacco sales, in New
Hampshire the compliance rate was 85 percent during the
first year of the program. “We’re extremely proud to be
recognized for the hard work the Bureau of Enforcement is
doing to enforce our state’s underage drinking laws,” Bureau
Chief Eddie Edwards said in a statement. “Our success is
only possible through our cooperative partnership with the
New Hampshire departments of Highway Safety, Education and
Corrections and with the US Attorney and Attorney General’s
offices.” The Ripple Effect program, launched in the spring
of 2OO6, includes an educational component on drunk driving
aimed at adolescents. The program brought students
face-to-face with the potentially devastating consequences
of drunk driving. There’s nothing like truly realizing your
own mortality to get scared straight. If New Hampshire’s
efforts are enough to really deter underage drinkers then
the rest of the country should be using their system as a
prototype.