HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-12-09 Community Alcohol Coalition Minutes
Minutes: May 12, 2009 Community Alcohol Coalition
Members Present: Jenny Haubenreiser, Jason Karls, Donna LaRue, Becky Franks, Jenna Caplette
April minutes were approved by members present.
Discussion Items
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Jenny announced that a couple of new members will be joining the CAC – they should be approved by
the Commission and in attendance at the next meeting.
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Jason gave an overview of the social host program he attended recently in Kalispell. Many
communities in Montana are now pursuing this type of ordinance. Jason is interested in sharing what
he learned. The CAC will continue to discuss the issue throughout the summer, establishing a more
detailed advocacy plan. Jenny will check on the status of the social host ordinance for Bozeman.
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Becky brought up the issue of medical marijuana cards that are being circulated throughout Bozeman.
Donna mentioned a training related to this for law enforcement, which will be held on May 27-28. The
group went on to discuss the harm related to marijuana versus other drugs (legal and illegal), as well as
the legalization debate.
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The group also discussed the passage of SB 438 – regulation of alcoholic energy drinks. A number of
national health advocacy agencies have identified the dangers of these types of alcoholic drinks, which
are particularly appealing to youth (often termed “alcopops”). These are very hard to distinguish from
non-alcohol soft drinks. The new legislation will require some of these to be regulated like hard liquor,
meaning they will not be available in convenience stores.
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Ellie was not in attendance, so the discussion of the summer downtown events will be postponed until
the next meeting.
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Jenny brought up a website that UC Davis has recently designed (funded by a Department of Education
grant). The website, housed on the UC Davis Health Promotion site, includes campus and community
resources related to underage and high-risk drinking, campus, community and state laws & policies,
tips for safe hosting, tips on creating positive neighborhood relations, and “mocktail” recipes. Jenny
would like to replicate this in some form for the Bozeman campus/community – which would be
contingent upon resources (namely staffing to compile the information). The group will continue to
discuss the feasibility of this sort of site. All feel this would be helpful in keeping the community better
informed about alcohol issues.
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The group also discussed ways to address the drinking culture in Bozeman. Public policy, while alone is
not sufficient, is crucial in establishing social norms and expectations – particularly as this relates to
youth behavior. This stance reflects the core purpose of the CAC.
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The members present agreed to cancel the June meeting due to summer travel. Other meetings
during the summer may be adjusted due to the orientation schedule at MSU (which would affect the
MSU members).
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30. The next meeting will be on July 7th at 4 p.m.