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Teenage drinking in Havre area is everyones problemOur view

Teenage drinking in Havre area is everyones problem

Our view

The problem of underage drinking is nothing new to Havre and the Hi-line and is not unique to our area. There is research, however, that suggests the problem is worse in Havre than in other Montana communities of a similar size.

Teenage drinking and kids driving after drinking inevitably cost lives. It has happened before and it is sure to happen again.

The past two days our paper has published stories about teenage drinking. Understanding the problem and the depth of the problem is necessary before we can seek solutions.

We believe after talking to local officials and area youth that what is being done to curb underage drinking is not working. Undoubtedly no one person has a silver bullet to solve the problem overnight. The Havre Daily News has invited community leaders to submit their thoughts and suggestions about correcting the problem. We will begin running those in the coming weeks on our Opinion Page Tuesday and Fridays. We welcome our readers' suggestions as well

Eliminating or even curtailing underage drinking begins with admitting there is a problem. Teenage drinking will require a community effort. Law enforcement, schools, churches, parents and kids will all have to work together for solutions.

Ignoring the problem will ensure that the deaths of our young people will continue to make our headlines.

Stories mentioned in this editorial can be found in the news archives for the dates 08/08/02 and08/09/02.

 

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