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Thumbs Up...
to Brown Jug, the largest chain of liquor stores in Alaska, for their innovative approach to deter underage drinking.
The company not only seizes fake IDs from anyone under 21 who attempts to buy alcohol from one of their stores, they also pursue
a $1,000 civil award from each young violator. To encourage vigilance, Brown Jug offers bonuses to employees who spot the fake IDs.
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Thumbs Down...
to Anheuser-Busch spokesperson Francine Katz who asserted that her company's promotion of "Bud Pong" does not encourage binge drinking
because the official rules call for using water, not beer. "Beer pong"-where players make the other team drink by tossing a ping pong ball
into their cup of beer-is a popular high school and college drinking game Yet, the world's largest beer maker professed surprise that some
players were using beer instead of water. Anheuser-Busch eventually withdrew the game in response to criticism.
Thumbs Down...
to Anheuser-Busch for using a Harvard professor to promote the health benefits of beer drinking.
Brewers are prohibited from making health claims in ads, so they need others, such as Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School
of Public Health, to do their dirty work. Anheuser-Busch, which contributed $150,000 to the school, sponsored events where Stampfer
touted the health benefits of moderate drinking. Following coverage in the Wall Street Journal and outcry from the public health community,
Stampfer discontinued speaking at the brewer's events.
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More than 40 percent of individuals who begin drinking before age 13 will develop addiction or alcohol dependency, or other problems associated with alcohol use at some point in their lives.
- Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free
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