The rates of heavy and binge drinking in Missouri were both higher than the national average in 2010, but alcohol arrests continue to decline.
Stringent state and city laws are among the reasons cited for the change, Partners in Prevention senior coordinator Joan Masters said.
Statewide laws, such as a mandated keg registration, crack down on alcohol, and in Columbia, banning open containers of alcohol on the streets. The city also enforces a zero-tolerance policy for those younger than 21.
“The zero-tolerance rule helps us because if you’re under 21, you can’t even have a drop of alcohol,” Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said. “You don’t have to physically have alcohol in your hand to get a zero-tolerance (charge) in Columbia.”
Having laws in place is only half the battle, Masters said.
“It’s important to have it appropriately enforced,” Masters said. “Education is only one part of a good strategy to decrease binge and heavy drinking. You also have to have strong policies and enforce them when necessary.”
A big part of that enforcement comes from the Columbia Police Department’s Downtown Unit, formed in 2009 to focus on preventing crime in the downtown area, especially alcohol-related incidents.
“We started having issues downtown, especially when the bars were opening and closing,” CPD spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said. “They do a lot of open business checks to make sure no underage people are drinking. They also check IDs because there are a lot of fake IDs that come through.”
Masters credits CPD with actively working to prevent underage and binge drinking.
“Columbia is good at getting grants (for law enforcement) and educating people,” Masters said. “(CPD) is helping to keep students safe and hold local retailers accountable for their alcohol sales, not just holding the students accountable when they’re caught with it.”
On campus, the MU Police Department also works to cut down the number of underage drinkers. MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said it’s impossible to stop all minors from drinking, but there are certain behaviors officers can look for.
“If they’re stumbling around and falling, passed out on a park bench, yelling and screaming, knocking over signs or vandalizing, those are signs we look for,” Weimer said.
In addition to police presence, the price of alcohol can be a major factor for college-age drinkers. According to the 2008 installment of the Harvard University College Alcohol Study, the price of alcohol is an important factor for college students. The study found that cheap, easily accessible alcohol is heavily associated with binge drinking.
Missouri has the second-lowest beer tax in the nation, as well as the third-lowest liquor and wine taxes, according to the Missouri Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Control website.
“Alcohol is cheap overall here,” Masters said. “There hasn’t been a tax hike on alcohol, and ours remains one of the lowest in the nation. This means Missouri is absorbing the cost and paying for the problems of drinking but not bringing money in from the people who use it.”
Masters also said an increase in campus programs addressing high-risk drinking and its negative effects has contributed to a better understanding of students’ drinking. Masters serves in a statewide coalition that works with 21 universities and is based in Columbia.
MU’s Wellness Resource Center is a resource that many other colleges don’t have, and the university is more well-equipped to deal with alcohol-related issues as a result, she said.
Masters said the vast majority of Missouri college students are drinking responsibly.
“Dateline and 20/20 are all about the dangers of binge drinking, but more than 50 or 60 percent of students engage in appropriate alcohol use, even those under 21,” Masters said. “The important thing to remember is that while the majority of college students consume alcohol, they’re doing it at a safe level.”
