Underage Drinking

How shocking that a 20-year-old college senior who worked in Rep. Andy Harris' congressional office drank a glass of wine at her farewell party last summer! ("Md. lawmaker under fire for underage drinking by intern," Jan. 4.) That should have been Page One news. Why doesn't The Sun put political blogger Joe Steffen, who broke this non-story, on its editorial board? He would fit right in. Marie Mullen

Underage drinking and drug use is a concern in our community throughout the year, especially during April and May, when our teens will make celebration decisions on prom night. Parties often involve peer pressure to engage in underage drinking, drugs and thrill-seeking behavior. This combination can contribute to teens making bad decisions. How our teens celebrate on prom night is affected by their options. All 12 Howard County high school PTAs are addressing the need for safe after-prom celebrations by providing a safe, fun option in an alcohol and drug-free setting with adult supervision.

I applaud the courageous vote of the Maryland state legislature to raise the tax on alcoholic beverages. Aside from the obvious tax windfall, there is evidence from over 110 professional, peer-reviewed papers that such tax increases reduce underage alcohol use. As a pediatrician with a busy practice, I no longer ask teens if they drink. The Youth Risk Behavior Study in Maryland has shown that 82 percent of graduating seniors have used alcohol, and a quarter of them have engaged in binge drinking.

Michael Thomas Truluck, 13, texted his family that he needed a ride home shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday. His mother said she saw nothing unusual in the request and sent her fiance to pick up Michael and two other boys, who had spent the afternoon together. "I knew he was hanging out with a bunch of friends, and there was nothing unusual about that," Kristina Keys said. "He texted and asked for a ride home. We picked him and two friends up. " Keys said she had no idea that his Saturday afternoon, which usually included lunch at a fast-food restaurant and hoops at Double Rock Park in Parkville, involved drinking an alcohol-laced energy drink, which an unidentified adult purchased for the pre-teens.

Rep. Andy Harris came under fire Tuesday for an incident last summer in which an underage intern was allowed to drink alcohol at a farewell party on a veranda of the U.S. Capitol. A spokesman for Harris, Ryan Nawrocki, confirmed that the party took place but said aides in the office did not realize the intern, a senior in college, was under 21. When the incident was brought to light, Harris, a Republican, disciplined his chief of staff, Kevin Reigrut, though Nawrocki would not say what action was taken.

A 19-year-old Naval Academy midshipman was cited for underage drinking at downtown Annapolis bar during an enforcement sweep last week, police said Tuesday. Sara James Markwith, a Washington state resident attending the military college, left her seat at the Acme Bar & Grill when police and other city inspectors entered the bar in the 100 block of Main St., police said. Maj. Scott Baker said officers "had to coax her out of the bathroom. " She gave police an incorrect birthdate, and she became argumentative with officers, but later told police she slipped in through a back door when someone else was returning inside.

Michael Thomas Truluck, 13, texted his family that he needed a ride home shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday. His mother said she saw nothing unusual in the request and sent her fiance to pick up Michael and two other boys, who had spent the afternoon together. "I knew he was hanging out with a bunch of friends, and there was nothing unusual about that," Kristina Keys said. "He texted and asked for a ride home. We picked him and two friends up. " Keys said she had no idea that his Saturday afternoon, which usually included lunch at a fast-food restaurant and hoops at Double Rock Park in Parkville, involved drinking an alcohol-laced energy drink, which an unidentified adult purchased for the pre-teens.

In a move designed to stop adults who permit underage drinking parties during the prom and graduation seasons, Harford County Crime Solvers will begin paying rewards for tips leading to criminal charges or civil citations against people providing alcohol to minors."

A 16-year-old caught drinking beer in a North Laurel restaurant has cost Wild Buffalo Grill owner Maria Marek a $500 fine and a six-day license suspension on two consecutive weekends starting Friday, according to a decision by the Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Association. Howard police Detective Mark Baxter told the board that officers found the youth drinking inside the restaurant the night of Nov. 12. John Curtis, the manager and Marek's brother-in-law, told them a regular patron, age 26, had bought a "bucket" of five beers, and the youth took one, police said.

Howard County police have charged 22 youths with underage drinking, saying officers caught them with alcohol at a Glenelg residence after a high school homecoming dance.The youths -- who were given written citations requiring them to appear in court -- were drinking in the basement of a home in the 14600 block of Mustang Path about 12: 45 a.m. Sunday after attending the Glenelg High School dance, police said.Police, who said they heard rumors at the dance about a party afterward, knocked on the door of the Mustang Path residence and an adult allowed them to search the house.

How shocking that a 20-year-old college senior who worked in Rep. Andy Harris' congressional office drank a glass of wine at her farewell party last summer! ("Md. lawmaker under fire for underage drinking by intern," Jan. 4.) That should have been Page One news. Why doesn't The Sun put political blogger Joe Steffen, who broke this non-story, on its editorial board? He would fit right in. Marie Mullen

Rep. Andy Harris came under fire Tuesday for an incident last summer in which an underage intern was allowed to drink alcohol at a farewell party on a veranda of the U.S. Capitol. A spokesman for Harris, Ryan Nawrocki, confirmed that the party took place but said aides in the office did not realize the intern, a senior in college, was under 21. When the incident was brought to light, Harris, a Republican, disciplined his chief of staff, Kevin Reigrut, though Nawrocki would not say what action was taken.

College nights have quietly returned to the Inner Harbor. Bourbon Street moved its college nights to the new Baltimore Soundstage earlier this month, the first time college nights have been held at the Inner Harbor since 2006, when they were banned over outcry from city and public officials about underage drinking. College nights at Bourbon Street were moved because the club is getting ready to close September 30. The last party was held September 1. General manager Sam Chaney said the parties will be held once a month instead of weekly, like at Bourbon Street.

Anyone who even remotely thinks that increasing the alcohol tax will reduce underage drinking is delusional (Alcohol tax: 50% increase is first in a generation, April 12). This is nothing more than another money grab by a legislature that won't stop spending and is out of touch. What is needed to stop teen drinking is more education about the damage that drinking can do coupled with increased parental supervision and involvement in the lives of our children. Stop sugar-coating this issue and call it what it is — another tax pure and simple.

I applaud the courageous vote of the Maryland state legislature to raise the tax on alcoholic beverages. Aside from the obvious tax windfall, there is evidence from over 110 professional, peer-reviewed papers that such tax increases reduce underage alcohol use. As a pediatrician with a busy practice, I no longer ask teens if they drink. The Youth Risk Behavior Study in Maryland has shown that 82 percent of graduating seniors have used alcohol, and a quarter of them have engaged in binge drinking.

There is an annual ritual in the beer industry: every fall Anheuser-Busch raises its prices, usually in the range of 3-4 four percent. This increase occurs regardless of inflation and is a testament to the dominant position the makers of Budweiser hold in America's beer market. In his commentary in The Sun on Feb. 22 ( "'Dime a drink' tax would cost thousands of jobs" Pietro Di Pilato, a vice president of the world's largest liquor company, argues a dime a drink increase in the price of alcohol will cost the industry thousands of jobs.

IT'S NOT about "civil rights" or "parental control" or any of the other pathetic evasions employed by parents of some Westminster High School students suspended from clubs and sports because they were at a party where extensive underage drinking occurred.It is about teen-agers honoring their pledge not to do so, as a condition of participation in extracurricular activities, and the Carroll school system holding them to that pledge.It is about the multiplying dangers of underage drinking. And about the chilling attitudes of too many adults, who seem to view it as an expected rite of passage and of no concern to the schools.

Sneakers and jeans, vodka, electronics and models, beer, car and movie reviews, cognac, tobacco, rum, more models, more vodka ... cover article. This is the order of things in a number of popular magazines that carry the latest buzz-worthy items designed to appeal to young people. It should come as no surprise that alcohol is high on the list, as the combination of sound marketing research and seemingly innocuous advertising has maintained alcohol as a staple in our social diets. Underage drinking is not just a problem for young people, parents, law enforcement and proponents of sound public health practices.

This year's General Assembly session is well under way in Annapolis, and once again we face a new threat to hospitality jobs throughout our state. Recently, legislation was introduced that would raise alcohol taxes by more than 790 percent. Supporters say it is just a "dime a drink," but a tax on alcohol is more than a tax on just one drink: It's a direct attack on the hospitality industry, and — according to an economic impact analysis of the industry developed for our company by John Dunham and Associates — it could cost more than 8,000 jobs.

A 16-year-old caught drinking beer in a North Laurel restaurant has cost Wild Buffalo Grill owner Maria Marek a $500 fine and a six-day license suspension on two consecutive weekends starting Friday, according to a decision by the Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Association. Howard police Detective Mark Baxter told the board that officers found the youth drinking inside the restaurant the night of Nov. 12. John Curtis, the manager and Marek's brother-in-law, told them a regular patron, age 26, had bought a "bucket" of five beers, and the youth took one, police said.