Duluth Reports 89% Alcohol Sales Compliance Rate.

Conducting what are known as “compliance checks,” Gwinnett County Detectives partner with underage decoys to ensure that area retailers comply with state and county laws that prohibit people under 21 from purchasing alcohol. Between the months of July and September, detectives visited nineteen stores in the Duluth area. Out of those nineteen alcohol retailers, two sold to an underage decoy.

While compliance checks are an effective tool in reducing underage access to alcohol, area retailers must overcome one very difficult issue: fake IDS. While retailers are responsible for not only checking IDs, they are also responsible for ensuring that identification is valid and belongs to the person presenting it when purchasing alcoholic beverages.

Fake IDs are not only an issue for the stores selling alcohol, but for the person attempting to purchase alcohol underage. In a 2013 study from the University of Maryland, researchers found that false identification use was linked to high risk drinking choices for those under the age of 21. The study found that using fake IDs essentially fueled high risk drinking choices by providing greater accessibility to alcohol, leading these young people to drink more frequently and more heavily. This increase in quantity and frequency is interpreted as a red flag that can signal current or future problems with alcohol.

A combined effort between retailers and parents can help to reduce the effects of this issue, as outlined in the Alcohol Retailer Knowledge Base brochure from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. First, retailers are encouraged to compare facial features, take note of the date of birth and the expiration date on the ID, pay attention to the customer for actions that may indicate the customer is being dishonest (like facial features, eye movements and body language) and also report any fake identification to a supervisor and law enforcement when present.

Parents are encouraged to talk to teens and young adults about drinking and fake IDs. With almost 2/3rds of the college participants in the study using a fake ID to obtain alcohol, it is important that parents talk about the possible consequences related to using a fake ID, which can include fines, suspension of a driver’s license, jail time and an increased chance of alcohol dependence.

We would like to thank the following alcohol retailers for checking IDs and not selling alcohol to the underage decoys during July, August and September.

FUMI, 3350 Mall Blvd.

Davenport Hop In, 3547 Old Norcross Rd.

Mela Groceries, 1670 Pleasant Hill Rd.

Chevron Food Mart, 2120 Duluth Hwy

Duluth Texaco Food & Gas, 2255 Duluth Hwy

Rite Aid #11703, 2325 Pleasant Hill Rd

Shop and Save, 1932 Pleasant Hill Rd

Quiktrip #3495, 3495 Satellite Blvd

Sam's Mart, 3841 Satellite Blvd

Kroger Company #636, 3093 Steve Reynold Blvd

Super Mercado Jalisco, 3355 Steve Reynolds Blvd

Carrabba's Italian Grill, 2030 Sugarloaf Circle

BP Duluth, 2001 Pleasant Hill Rd.

Shell Food Mart, 2640 Duluth Hwy

Quiktrip # 706, 2571 Satellite Blvd

MegaMart, 2106 Pleasant Hill Rd.

GUIDE, Inc. is a substance abuse prevention agency serving Gwinnett County since 1986. To find out more about us, please connect with us at guideinc.org.