Friday, May 23, 2014

Enforcement of laws important for youth drug use prevention

If laws and regulations are going to deter people and businesses from illegal behaviors, they must be enforced. In this video, Jessica Hawkins from Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services describes some steps her state took to enforce penalties for social hosts who allow underage drinking on their premises.  



Though she talks about the social host law, she provides good examples of how the enforcement of all laws regarding teen access to and consumption of drugs can be implemented and supported by the community.  This is a timely topic here in Washington considering our new marijuana laws and the rules that were adopted to keep marijuana out of the hands of minors.  Those underage marijuana use prevention rules are only effective if actually enforced.  

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