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�� ti� c c r �c-css $- ��-`i�i . t"s must do more to stem flow of alcohol to kids on rra. i turned 21 last week. The flood of emotions con- nected to this milestone ranges from `�__. pride in our joint achieve- EILEEN WEBER ment, to joint woaderment COMMUNITY at our ages, co�unnrvisr to relief in the passage, complete with a prayer of thanks for good luck. When we talked �ust day s prior to the big event, I could hear the slight tease in his voice when he alluded to the upcoming celebra- tion with campus cohorts. Having danced this maternal macarena with me for a score of years, he clearly knew the moves. "I have a big day coming up," he needlessly reminded me. "Isn't it wonderful!" I cheered. `But don't get too drunk," I also gently ordered, "and if you're go- ing to dnnk, make sure someone else can drive." He responded with the timeless adolescent mantra, "Don't worry P11 be OK!" However, this time he illustrated a maturity marked by more than years by adding, "I made it this far; Pm not going to blow it now." ` Making iY' to the legal drinking age signifies success at countermg a culture of consumption that treats adolescence as a sort of protracted hazing, a rite of passage through a minetield of trap s baited with the allure of adulthood. Too many adults set those traps with alcohol, and too many teen-agers fall prey. Half of all adolescent deaths involv- ing drownings, fires, suicides and homicides are alcohol-related. The Minnesota Health Depart- ment reports that these youth are at a higher risk of dying from alcohol-related mjury or violence than any other age group. In a society that broadly promotes drinking through venues like comic books, cute amphibians, sex and status, alcohol is still the drug most often illegally used by teens Sadly, it is mostly provided by adults, be they older friends, naive parents, careless clerks and servers, or irresponsible strangers who agree to purchase far ldds when ap proached by them in liquor-store parking lots. Consequently, alcohol flows through our communities to our children like water through a sieve. Enforcement of laws that should stop t6is flood raises the hackles of a hquor industry that clearly tar- gets the adolescent mentality . The Center for Media Education and the Center for Scieace in the Public Interest are two organiza- tions that have thoroughly docu- mented how the alcohol industry targets youth, pointin� out, for example, how a ch�ld s Internet search for frogs turns up the Budweiser amplribians. While restaurateurs have come to eapect that safe food is ensured by the routine ms�ection of their kitchens. liquon c�ensees petsistently balk at the concept of routine corn- pliance checks to satisfy the equally important need for safe streets Mandatory compliance checks with uniform penalties across the state would alleviate the political sensitivity local officials feel about enforcing existing laws, especiallyI in commumties where an est�blish- ment that sells alcohol may also sponsor community events and causes. Given their proven effec- tiveness in reducing �llegal sales, such routine checks should be n more negotiable than routine restaurant mspections Enactment of new laws to nr �.. ANC AS Y�SEE-Ot�R CAN�PVS 15 A1�JVU1/tLT VKlr�nv Wln+ IKAqlqn mote responsible behavior instead of destructive choices usually encounters legislative committees more friendly to unencumbered commerce than to protecting pub- lic safety. One legal improvement occurred last legislative session ia response to the tragic death of 16-year-old Kevin Brockway on New Year's Eve. He drove hls car into a tree after leaving a party where alcohol was provided by an adult Spear- headed by the Mimlesota Join Together Coalition, the new law toughens the criminal penalty for providmg free alcohol to mmors from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. That success must now be paired with clear and convincing civil lia- bility for such crimmal behavior. There is no recompense for the loss of a child, especially the pre- o ventable loss caused by the irre- I sponsible behavior of another adult. Such grief is immeasurable. o- Nevertheless. lawsuits against DAV I DCATRO W/COPLEYN E W SSERV adults for harm resulting frc alcohol they gave a minor w turn each civil action into a lar� generalized threat that can go long way toward prevention. `I message such lawsuits will send that those who provide will pay. Minnesotans overwhelmingly s� port such measures, according data from Mathematica Poli Reseazch Across the political sp� trum, 76 percent support manda ry undercover com liance chec and a full 63 pBPCBII� support la that make it easier to sue an adj provider when harm is caused an underage drinker. Legislators should heedsuchstrc sentiment to make the passa through adolescence safer for all. Weber (e-mall: weber058@tc.umn.ec who lives in Cottage Grove, is one seven Pioneer Press community coli nists for 1999. She is an emergei nurse at the University of Minnes� Hospitals and Clinic and a Ph.D. stud at the U.