Stateways

Stateways March-April 2014

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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responsibility issues. The Idaho State Liquor Division (ISLD) is one of the organizations that helped to develop the Northwest Alcohol Conference, a bi-annual event held in Boise, ID. This conference attracts more than 500 attendees from around the country, including professionals, who work in the area of prevention, and also youth, who are interested in learning about responsible drinking measures and sharing that information with their individual communities. "The format of the conference has proven to be extremely successful in the past, especially with the youth attendees," says Jeff Anderson, director of the ISLD and chairman of the NABCA. "We encourage youth to take the things they learn at the conference and bring them back home to share with their communities. It's much more impactful when the youth are the ones sharing the information with their peers rather than having a 50-year-old guy in a suit [like me] talk about it." The next Northwest Alcohol Conference will be held July 16-18. The ISLD supports the initiative by providing funding and volunteers. Additional fundraising support is provided by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA). According to Eddie Wirt, Director of Policy, Planning, and Education with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), his state is also making youth outreach programs a priority focus area for 2014. "High-school and college-aged youth are often at a much higher risk for alcohol abuse," Wirt says. "People who start drinking at a young age are more likely to continue abusing alcohol throughout their life. There's also a very high percentage of abuse within this age group." TARGETING STUDENTS O ne of Virginia's youth-focused initiatives is its College Tour program. This spring, College Tour will visit two college campuses in the state, and will travel to another two to three campuses in the fall. These one-day conferences are geared toward educating student leaders, as well as faculty, staff, and other professionals who work with young people and are concerned with responsible drinking issues. The conference program features a keynote speaker and separate breakout sessions for students and professionals, focusing on topics such as "Bystander Intervention" and "Getting Wasted: A Sociological Approach to Drinking." Up to 200 participants are expected to attend each conference. The events are free for students and cost $20 for professionals. Funding for the program is provided by the Virginia ABC and additional support is given by NABCA. "We want to encourage conversations between students, faculty, and staff, and help them engage in collaborative discussions about the "IT'S MUCH MORE IMPACTFUL WHEN THE YOUTH ARE THE ONES SHARING THE INFORMATION WITH THEIR PEERS RATHER THAN HAVING A 50-YEAR-OLD GUY IN A SUIT [LIKE ME] TALK ABOUT IT." — JEFF ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, IDAHO STATE LIQUOR DIVISION

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