Under-age drinking goes up after legal drinking age goes down

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Police dealt with more than double the number of under-age drinkers in the year after the drinking age was lowered, a review shows.

The Ministry of Justice review backs up concerns held by many groups about under-age drinking following the lowering of the drinking age from 20 to 18 in 1999.

That year, 1430 people aged under 18 were apprehended for drinking or possessing alcohol in a public place. A year later, only 451 were apprehended but 2816 were dealt with under a new system of issuing infringement notices -- making a total of 3267.

"The increase in the amount of this type of offending dealt with by the police was more than would have been expected based on the trend in apprehensions from 1994 to 1999," the review said.

Health Ministry figures included in the review showed no significant increase in the number of 14 to 19-year-olds drinking. However, the frequency and the amount consumed by those who did drink increased; the average 14 to 15-year-old who drank became a weekly drinker and consumption on a typical occasion rose from three to five drinks.

For 16 to 17-year-olds the number of drinks typically consumed in a session increased from four to seven, while for 18 to 19-year-olds the increase was from five to seven.

Justice Minister Phil Goff, releasing the review, said the statistics were not yet conclusive about the impact of lowering the drinking age. Further and more complete data from last year were needed to do that.

"With or without the changes made by the Sale of Liquor Act 1999, alcohol abuse and particularly binge drinking by some teenagers are serious problems in New Zealand," he said in a statement.

"The report reinforces the need for changing the culture surrounding drinking, which requires more than simply legislation changes."

Particular attention needed to be given to the impact of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages, known as alcopops, especially on young women, Mr Goff said.

The review had been given to interested groups, including the New Zealand Drug Foundation, the Hospitality Association, police and Students Against Drunk Driving. Those groups had been invited to make submissions to the Justice Ministry on the issues.

- NZPA

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