The “Blame the Parents” Strategy – On Steroids

One continuing alcohol industry issues management strategy has been to shift the responsibility for underage drinking away from those who profit from underage drinking (10-15% of total alcohol sales in the US) to the kids themselves and their parents. This is not only apparent in industry-produced “educational” materials which offer branded fuzzy, simplistic solutions, but in policy measures like Cops in Shops.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 358  takes that approach to its ridiculous extreme by allowing alcohol beverage licensees to sue parents of kids under 18 who procure alcohol in their establishments.  The licensee would be entitled to $1,000 (plus costs and “reasonable” attorney fees) which is actually more than the fine ($500) the state levies against those who sell to minors.

If the sponsors of this bill really want to tackle underage drinking, they should increase the price of alcohol and investigate the alcohol industry’s practices of luring kids with products like marshmallow-flavored vodka and saturating kids with digital alcohol marketing.   But, then again, that might not go over well with their buddies at the Tavern League of Wisconsin.

Reference:

Mosher, J. F. (1995). The merchants, not the customers: resisting the alcohol and tobacco industries’ strategy to blame young people for illegal alcohol and tobacco sales. Journal of Public Health Policy, 16(4), 412-432.