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Is NYC An Underage Drinking Mecca?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 23, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 23, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
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This week, we learned that watching movies in which stars get wasted with no consequences is turning our nation's impressionable youth into a bunch of alcoholics. But it seems street tough NYC kids don't even need that prompting to go three sheets to the wind—as the State Liquor Authority has downsized to its lowest level in two decades, city hospitals have seen an exponential jump in emergency room cases stemming from underage drinking. “The SLA says that they have zero tolerance when it comes to selling liquor to minors. I’d like them to put their money where their mouths are,” said Bronx Councilman James Vacca.
The SLA has cut its total staff from 208 in 2000 to 140 in 2011; the number of agency inspectors working in the city has plummeted 54 percent since 1995. NYC is only assigned a meager 11 inspectors now, who are expected to keep tabs on more than 35,000 restaurants, bars and nightclubs licensed to sell beer, wine and liquor. A police source complained to the Daily News that SLA inspectors have even been missing weekly raids known as “Multi Agency Response to Chronic Hotspots.” Vacca says the NYPD has been picking up the slack for SLA: “If it wasn’t for the NYPD, there’d be an explosion of illegal sales."
SLA Deputy CEO Michael Jones called his agency “dysfunctional” during a meeting with concerned Hell’s Kitchen residents in January: “I’ll tell you right now, a lot of mistakes are being made at my agency.” Alcohol-related emergency room visits increased from 2,000 to 4,000 between 2008 and 2009, and has risen steady up ever since.
The city has tried various tactics to try to stem the tide, including launching a $200,000 ad campaign in 2011 warning of the perils of alcohol abuse, utilizing undercover young-looking officers, and putting up informative traffic signs. Of course, that does nothing to stop kids from going to bodegas, who are too busy (or greedy) to card. And when that fails, there's always Yelp!
Tagged
alcohol
booze
kids
sla
state liquor authority
underage drinking
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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