Terry Goddard to Address Problem of Underage Drinking

(Phoenix, Ariz. – April 30, 2007) Attorney General Terry Goddard will open the second day of a two-day conference on the issue of underage drinking at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2. The conference will be held at the Wyndham Phoenix.

Goddard will also moderate a plenary session entitled “Alcohol Marketing & Youth – Evidence of a Problem.” Panel participants will include Maine Attorney General G. Steven Rowe, Co-Chair of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Youth Access to Alcohol Committee; David Jernigan, Ph.D., Director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University; and Bruce Livingston, Director of the Marin Institute, a national alcohol industry watchdog.

According to the 2006 Arizona Youth Survey, 62 percent of Arizona adolescents reported using alcohol, a higher percentage than for tobacco or illicit drugs.

“Alcohol use by youth under 21 is extremely dangerous and associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure and other behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success,” Goddard said. “This problem demands our attention and best efforts to solve.”

The conference is Arizona’s first statewide meeting to address underage drinking. It will bring together law enforcement, community coalitions, educators, advocates, service providers, policymakers, youth and others interested in curbing underage drinking throughout Arizona. The conference is sponsored by the Arizona Parents Commission and the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families.

Event Information:

What: Conference: Partnerships to Prevent Underage Drinking Through Policy, Education & Enforcement

When: May 1 and 2, 2007 Conference begins May 1 at 9 a.m.

Attorney General Goddard will speak on May 2 at 8:30 a.m.

Where: Wyndham Phoenix Hotel 50 E. Adams Phoenix, Arizona

For more information about this event, please contact Andrea Esquer at 602-542-8019.