House Republican Press Release

March 28, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Scribner to Speak at Town Hall Meeting Aimed at Combating Underage Drinking

DANBURY- Representative David Scribner (R-Brookfield) will address the regional area Town Hall Meeting concerning underage drinking this evening at Western Connecticut State University at Warner Hall from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  He will be joined by Connecticut’s Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal. 

With underage drinking becoming an increasing problem both statewide and nationwide, and Connecticut youths beginning to drink alcohol as early as age 11, far earlier than the national average, over thirty Connecticut towns will join thousands across the United States in holding Town Hall Meetings to discuss and raise awareness on the issue of underage drinking. 

Representative Scribner, who was chosen by Governor Rell to lead a team of state agency officials to a national planning meeting on the subject of underage drinking in Washington, D.C. last November, has been assisting in coordinating Connecticut’s participation in the national forum.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), children who begin drinking alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol problems as adults than those who start after age 21. National research also shows that a higher percentage of youth aged 12-to-20 use alcohol than tobacco or illicit drugs, making underage drinking a leading public health problem in the United States. In response, the U.S Surgeon General has declared a first-ever “Call to Action” on this issue.