Prevention group wants lawmakers to pass Social Host Bill

Members of the Mississippians Advocating Against Underage Drinking (MAAUD) recently announced that they are urging state lawmakers to adopt the Social Host Bill, WAPT reports.

The proposed ordinance holds parents and adults more accountable for underage drinking if they knowingly allow the behavior on their property. Many counties throughout the country have enacted a similar law, but legislators have yet to pass the law in Mississippi.

MAAUD officials told the news source that the penalty parents face would be a misdemeanor that could carry a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. However, local law enforcement officials and legislators do not see how this bill adds to the current punishments in place.

Underage drinking "is already against the law." Butch Townsend, of the Pearl police department, told the news source "I do not see where (the bill) changes anything as far as what is already against the law and what is not,”

Programs for troubled teens can help adolescents who struggle with alcohol addiction by offering education that may improve behavior.

According to the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey, approximately 37 percent of students in eighth grade reportedly consumed alcohol at some point.