Marcus Atkinson
HIspanicOhio.com editot
Ohio is in the middle of a huge effort to create preventative measures aimed to decrease the amount of alcohol use by young adults.
Ohio counties gathered in Newark to develop and learn how to implement strategies within their county to reduce what they feel are huge issues within their county such as binge drinking, and community acceptance of those under 21 years old consuming alcohol.
Latino youth drink at an earlier age compared to both whites and African-Americans, and are more likely to be drunk at an earlier age and are more likely to binge drink, according to the University Of Nebraska Medical Center, department for Reducing Health Disparities.
Latino youth are also more likely than both African American and White to have consumed alcohol before driving or have been in a vehicle with a driver under the influence of alcohol.
In addition, the number of deaths related to alcohol consumption while driving or riding in a car with a driver who has consumed alcohol, and/or alcohol related homicide is higher among Latinos, compared to the same African American and White age demographic
According to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMPY), Latinos 12 to 20 years of age see alcohol advertisements on television 20 percent more than the general public.
Furthermore, Death rates related to alcohol related conditions like cirrhosis and chronic liver disease are exceptionally high among Latinos, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Ohio categorizes prevention programs as “environmental strategies”, which according to the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (ODADAS), the federal government only awarded six percent of their alcohol programs to this technique.
The goal is to increase that amount.
Diana Marrero-Pinto, the Young Adult Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (YAADA) president said the primary goals of YAADA are to collect data and develop anti-drug programs for people ages 18-25.
“We must have change around alcohol and drug use,” Marrero said. “
YAADA collected data on alcohol use of youth between the ages of 18-25 who live in Lorain County and found the use of alcohol (especially for those under the age of 21) is often permissible.
Lorain County juvenile courts are full of from alcohol and drug related charges, one court representative said, who added the county is at the beginning of an epidemic.
School representatives are saying there are students who cannot pass drug tests for employment, and others called the epidemic, “detrimental to our youth.”