New Report Release: OUR STORES, OUR FUTURE - Ending Unsafe Alcohol Retail Practices Can Stop Underage Drinking Before It Starts

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Youth for Justice Launch Campaign Targeting San Rafael's "Awful Eleven"

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Sep 22, 2021, 08:10 ET

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcohol Justice, Youth for Justice, and the San Rafael Alcohol and Drug Coalition will hold a news conference to mark the release of a new report titled: OUR STORES, OUR FUTURE – Ending Unsafe Alcohol Retail Practices Can Stop Underage Drinking Before It Starts. The report is based upon a recent survey and assessment of all San Rafael alcohol retail outlets for their compliance with the "Best Practices for Stores that Sell Alcohol" standards. The event also marks the launch of a youth-driven campaign, "Youth Action for Safe Stores," to encourage compliance by the offending establishments, and passage of a San Rafael City Council resolution of support. District 1 City Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati will be participating in the event.

What:   Press Event & Call to Action
When: Thursday September 23, 2021, 5 p.m.
Where: 1556 4th Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
             Streaming Live: https://www.instagram.com/youth_for_justice/
                                         https://www.facebook.com/alcoholwatchdog/

Who:

Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, Research Director, Alcohol Justice
Jeffrey Angeles, Member, San Rafael Alcohol and Drug Coalition, Co-Chair, Youth For Justice
Dr. Jei Africa, PsyD, MSCP, CATC-V, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Marin Health and Human Services, County of Marin
Sayra Soriano, Representative, Smoke Free Marin Coalition, Tobacco Related Disease Control Program, Department of Health and Human Services, County of Marin
Maika Llorens Gulati, District 1 Councilmember, San Rafael City Council
Yavar Amidi, Advocacy Manager, Alcohol Justice, San Rafael Alcohol and Drug Coalition

Why:

Underage consumption of alcohol is both a strong predictor of problematic alcohol-use later in life and the major influence on the leading causes of preventable death among adolescents: motor vehicle collisions, suicide, and homicide.
Among high school students in California's Marin County, underage alcohol use remains high. 63% of high school seniors report having ever drank alcohol, 40% drinking within the last 30 days, and nearly 1 in 3 having either driven while intoxicated or been in a car with an intoxicated driver.
Environmental prevention strategies target the availability, desirability, and normalization of alcohol at the community level, in particular retail stores that sell alcohol. These strategies are demonstrably effective in reducing underage use, but are not aggressively pursued in San Rafael.
Existing regulations and dissuasions in San Rafael are not effective in keeping stores from engaging in dangerous retail practices.

CONTACT:
Carson Benowitz-Fredericks 917 426-6443
Maite Duran 415 717-1099
Michael Scippa 415 548-0492

SOURCE Alcohol Justice