Leahy: Vermont Receives $356,211
To Battle Underage Drinking

(Wed., June 2) – Vermont will receive $356,211 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist state and local officials combat the serious problem of underage drinking, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday.

The Vermont Department of Health has been awarded a $356,211 grant from the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program, which provides law enforcement officials the necessary resources to enforce laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages and the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. 

Leahy, the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over DOJ and federal anti-crime and anti-drug programs, has supported funding this initiative.  Since 1998, Vermont has received $2.6 million from this program. 

“Underage drinking is not a harmless rite of passage.  It is illegal and dangerous,” said Leahy, a former prosecutor.  “This grant will strengthen local and state efforts to enforce the law and to raise public awareness, so we can make more progress.”

The rate of alcohol-related fatalities and accidents among underage drinkers in Vermont has plummeted since 1996 when it ranked highest in the nation.  Between 1998 and 2002, the rate of alcohol-related fatalities in Vermont has fallen by more than 50 percent, according to a recent study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

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