NEWS RELEASE

BOTTLE TAGGING REMINDS ADULTS NOT TO FURNISH ALCOHOL TO MINORS

Seaside Seniors Melissa Sofge & Shina Saxton tag bottles at Seaside Stop & Go as the New Years weekend approaches.

The Bottle Tags remind adults not to furnish alcohol to minor pointing out it is a crime and the fine.

According to a survey of Clatsop County youth, 75% say it is easy to get alcohol in their community. In Oregon 156,000 youth say they drank last year and underage drinking cost the citizens of Oregon 724 million dollars in 2005. Those costs were for traffic crashes, violence, property crimes, injury, high-risk sex, and youth alcohol treatment.

As part of their Pacifica project, Eighteen year-old Melissa Sofge and Seventeen year-old Shina Saxton wanted to send the message to adults to stop furnishing alcohol to minors. They helped design the tag and contacted stores in Seaside asking them to allow the bottle tags on their alcohol. Thursday morning the girls spent a couple of hours tagging 2,000 bottles at Seaside Stop & Go, Safeway, Trucke’s 1-Stop, The Trunaround Market, and The Wine Haus. These stores were eager to help in reducing underage drinking in Seaside.

This project is part of the ongoing efforts of the Clatsop County Reduce Underage Drinking Task Force in which the Seaside Police Department participates. Melissa and Shina are also participating in the task force and will continue to work to reduce underage drinking in their communites.