TULSA, OKLA. \u2013 [April 27, 2023] \u2013 Prom and graduation season is upon us. Students are celebrating various milestones and before you know it, your teen may be headed out the door to enjoy springtime festivities. Alcohol is often involved in many of these moments of celebration. The Tulsa Health Department\u2019s substance abuse prevention program and the Stop DUI Task Force encourages adults to take steps to prevent underage drinking and to set good examples for their families.<\/p>\n
Data from the 2019-2020 Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment indicates 31.55% of 6th grade students, 35.14% of 8th grade students, 31.96% of 10th grade students and 47.14% of 12th grades students in Tulsa County report obtaining alcohol from someone they know 21 and older.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Stop DUI Task Force is working within the community to help lower these statistics and encourage adults not to provide minors with alcohol,\u201d said THD Community Based Prevention Specialist Kandice Lawson. \u201cNot only is it dangerous, it\u2019s also against the law. The minute someone decides to purchase alcohol for an underage person and provide a place for them to consume it, they\u2019ve broken the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oklahoma’s Social Host law puts a shared responsibility for underage drinking on the person providing the location for the gathering. If youth under age 21 are drinking alcohol at a gathering, the individual who provided the space for them to do so can face fines up to $500 for first-time offenders. If someone is injured or killed because of a Social Host violation, the offender can be charged with a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine up to $2,500. Repeat offenders \u2013 three strikes \u2013 can result in a felony conviction with up to five years in prison and a fine up to $2,500.<\/p>\n
With spring, proms and graduation approaching \u2013 and increased emphasis on get-togethers and parties that may include alcoholic beverages \u2013 it\u2019s important that Oklahomans familiarize themselves with Oklahoma\u2019s \u2018Social Host Law\u2019. Also known as \u2018Cody\u2019s Law\u2019, the law was named in memory of Cody Ryan Greenhaw, who died in 2004 at age 16 during a gathering in a friend\u2019s home where the friend\u2019s parents allegedly knew alcohol and drugs were routinely being used by teens while in their home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s essential that we continue working together,\u201d says Oklahoma County Sheriff Eric Kirby. \u201cAs parents, educators, law enforcement officers, legislators, health care providers and community members we can reduce underage drinking rates even further and ultimately save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
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TULSA, OKLA. \u2013 [April 27, 2023] \u2013 Prom and graduation season is upon us. Students are celebrating various milestones and before you know it, your teen may be headed out the door to enjoy springtime festivities. Alcohol is often involved in many of these moments of celebration. The Tulsa Health Department\u2019s substance abuse prevention program […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n