On May 22, 2017 Jeff Rosen of Rosen Reports did a segment on the TODAY show after police issued a warning on a widening problem of home delivery services providing alcohol to minors. 53 percent of eighth graders say it’s “fairly to very easy” to get alcohol as did 71 percent of tenth graders.

Mr. Rosen set up hidden cameras at the front door of a rented home in Connecticut and had a 13-year-old girl, who is in the eighth grade, answer the door and take deliveries. Alcohol home delivery services say they ask for identification before leaving alcohol at homes. They further say they do not leave alcohol on doorsteps. Mr. Rosen’s team ordered a variety of beer and alcohol from local stores and waited for the deliveries.

What did the cameras show?

Several of the delivery people did not leave the alcohol. However, two or three left boxes of beer, wine and alcohol without any questions. One delivery person asked for the ID, but when told she did not have one, left the alcohol anyway.

According to a 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health which was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed that the problem of teen drinking is alarming and that alcohol use kills about 4,700 people a year, which is more than all other drugs combined.

Where else are underage teens getting alcohol?

95.1 percent of 12-14-year-olds who reported that they drank alcohol got it for free either through family members or finding it in their home. Older siblings or friends often purchase alcohol for young teens for money, according to AlcoholPolicymd.com. 

Several key approaches to the problem of underage drinking have been found to be successful as reported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Federal Trade Commission: 

• Make alcohol harder to get for example, by raising the price of alcohol and keeping the minimum drinking age at 21. 
• Change the way young people think about alcohol, so they are better able to resist pressures to drink. 
• Programs that provide young people with the knowledge, skills, motivation, and opportunities they need to remain alcohol free. 
• Parents and guardians can help by monitoring adolescents’ activities and friends, having regular conversations about the dangers of drinking, serving as positive role models and encouraging kids to participate in healthy and fun activities that do not involve alcohol. 
• Alcohol retailers play an essential role in reducing teen access. They can take steps to make sure that teens cannot buy alcohol from their stores, and they can serve as a source of information to reduce the possibility that alcohol legally sold to an adult will end up in a teenager's hands. 

“We at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. have seen the devastation caused by underage drinking. A teen’s access to alcohol must be denied in any way possible. If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of teen drinking, contact the Fort Myers DUI Accident Law Firm,” said Attorney Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers DUI Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.