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Why �S th�s <br />happening? <br />It is too easy for young people in <br />Hennepin County to obtain alcohol. <br />Despite the minimum drinking age laws, alcohol use <br />among teens �mains very high. It is too easy for young <br />people in Hennepin County to acquire alcohol. Alcohol <br />is readily available to young people through both com- <br />mercial and social sources, often from adultproviders, <br />including friends, siblings, parents, co-workers, and <br />strangers. <br />■ Hennepin County 1997 and 1998 focus group <br />studies'*-'swith over 500 young people aged 13-20 <br />across the county (refer to technical notes for <br />more information) found that: <br />► A great majority of focus group participants <br />believed that it was either "very eas�' or <br />"somewhat eas�' for young people to obtain <br />alcohol in their communities. <br />► More than one-third of focus group partici- <br />pants believed that liquor stores provided <br />"easy access° to alcohol for underage youth. <br />► About half of the focus group participants <br />believed that convenience stores provided <br />"easy access° to alcohol for underage youth. <br />► Non-commercial providers were the most fre- <br />quent source of alcohol. More than half of the <br />focus group participants who have used alca <br />hol obtained it from someone aged 21 or older, <br />either a friend, sibling, parent, or a friend's par- <br />ent. About one-fourth of them got their last <br />drink from someone under age 21. Only a <br />small percentage of the focus group partici- <br />pants got their last drink directly from stores. <br />24 <br />Among Hennepin County 12th graders who have <br />used alcohol in the past 30 days, 74 percent got <br />their alcohol from friends; 54 percent got alcohol <br />at a party; 44 percent got someone else to pur- <br />chase alcohol for them; 17 percent got alcohol <br />from a family member; 16 percent bought alcohol <br />at a bar, restaurant, or store; and 12 percent took <br />alcohol from homee. <br />■ Although many states have statutes prohibiting <br />non-parental adults from providing or selling <br />alcohol to individuals under age 21, and from <br />commercial sales to underage youth, researchers <br />report that little action has been taken against <br />commercial and non-commercial violators �`•'S <br />