Liquor stores throughout the Baystate will be on “double secret probation” this fall as state officials launch “Operation Safe Campus.”
The plan was devised by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC), a subdivision of the state treasury.
According to an ABCC press release, law enforcement agents across the Commonwealth will be deployed to investigate and monitor liquor stores with a history of selling to minors. Officials will also scrutinize delivery apps which have been used to by underage students to procure alcohol.
The same press release touts the agency’s success in cracking down on underage drinking in 2022.
Here are just a few of their stats:
- 691 minors were found possessing or transporting alcohol
- 92 adults were caught providing alcohol to minors
- 178 false IDs were seized, and
- 263 criminal charges were entered to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores that provide alcoholic beverages to persons under 21.
Despite government’s best efforts to curb underage alcohol consumption, Massachusetts remains one of the top ten states nationwide for binge drinking.
According to studies cited by the ABCC, more than 1 in 4 residents over the age of 18 admits to binge drinking. Additionally, over 1 in 5 youths between the ages of 12 and 20 also reported binging on alcohol.