'Sticker shock' events warn against underage drinking

August 24, 2009 - San Diego, Calif. - Hannah Weiss has more than five years before she can legally buy booze. But the Escondido High School junior already knows what many adults ignore: Furnishing alcohol for minors is against the law. "Underage drinking is really dangerous," said Weiss, 15, as she fixed bright yellow-and-red warning stickers on beer cases at Escondido's Northgate Market on Thursday.

"Teenagers don't always make the smartest decisions even when they're not drunk," she said. Groups of teens and youth advocates from Escondido to Oceanside to Encinitas took part in a host of "sticker shock" events Thursday to warn adults not to buy alcohol for minors.

In Escondido, the stickers read: "Hey, you!! It's illegal to provide alcohol for people under 21," and "You must be 21 to purchase alcoholic beverages. It's the law!" Event organizers said they hope everyone will take notice ---- especially as summer, graduation and parties approach. "It's a reminder ---- we all need a slap in the face sometimes," said Pat Hodgkin, executive director of San Diego County's chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the sponsor of the events.

More than 5,000 youths die each year from underage drinking-related causes, including traffic wrecks, homicides and suicides, according to MADD. Many cities across the county have "social host ordinances" that impose fines and other penalties on adults who supply alcohol to teens at house parties.

Fines vary from city to city. Stores that allow teens to buy booze face up to a $1,000 fine and suspension of their alcohol license, said John Lopez, a coordinator of the North Inland Community Prevention Program, which organized the Escondido event. At least one shopper in Escondido, Sooky Yi, said the program was "a good idea," though the Poway mother of two teenage boys said she had to look hard to notice the relatively small stickers. Over in Encinitas, Nancy Logan organized a similar event. "This is just one more (warning) signal before they buy a 12-pack or 24-pack," said Logan, a prevention specialist with the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth. "It definitely would make the person buying alcohol think again." Logan's nonprofit group participated at the Village Spirit Shop in Encinitas. Her nonprofit serves the Solana Beach, Del Mar, South Carlsbad and Encinitas areas. Hodgkin, the MADD director, said her group will continue to sponsor similar events in years to come. "It's all about making sure our youth are protected," she said.