Louisiana Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Program

The goal of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program is to support and enhance State efforts, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, to enforce laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. For the purpose of the program, minors are defined as individuals under 21 years of age.

The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) has managed the EUDL Program in Louisiana since 2000. A three-point strategy of enforcement, education, and public awareness guides program implementation. ATC contends that these three components together will lead to a lasting change in public attitudes toward the problem of underage alcohol procurement and consumption. Enforcement efforts including fraudulent ID investigations, youth in possession details, and purchase on behalf of youth operations, are utilized to reduce sales by retail alcoholic beverage outlets to underage youth. ATC also endeavors to educate youth in alcohol awareness and resistance, and to educate local law enforcement in underage alcohol enforcement techniques. Public awareness efforts are utilized to make citizens aware of the problems associated with underage alcohol procurement, the efforts underway to combat the problem and the effectiveness of these efforts. By illustrating that innovative and cost-effective programs have reduced the State's non-compliance rates from 56% to 10%, ATC hopes to garner additional public support for its efforts.

NCA/NCF