Putnam County Wv Holds Adults Responsible For Underage Drinking

When kids drink, and in particular when kids drink and drive, who is to blame? The mantra “personal responsibility” doesn’t cut it in Putnam County. Adults there are forbidden from enabling minors to drink or do drugs in their home. The newly passed law is called a social host ordinance, and it outlines specific prohibitions:

• An adult cannot contribute to a social event where underage persons consume alcohol or illegal substances, and the adult can be assumed to be aware of the consumption
• If an adult sees an underage person drinking or doing drugs, they must demand that the kids stop, and contact the parent or guardian (for alcohol) or law enforcement (for drugs)

Penalties range from $100 to $1000, depending on prior offenses.

The county is not reliant on word of mouth for publicizing the new social host law. The Putnam County Wellness Coalition, a group dedicated to increasing awareness of substance abuse issues, has erected billboards around the county to let people know that they are responsible for what goes on in their homes. They’re responsible not only to the kids and to the law, but to the parents of their children’s friends.

Social host ordinances are gaining ground all over the country, and for good reason. Alcohol and drug abuse is a social problem, not just a personal one, and society needs to support efforts to curb it. That means cracking down on those who make it easy for kids to drink and use drugs. It also means holding people responsible when they enable others to drink and drive.

Too many people think that everything is legal behind closed doors. Putnam County and the Wellness Coalition deserve praise for spreading the word that our kids are too precious to be put at risk by misguided adults.