To the Editor:

The end of another school year signals great anticipation for juniors and seniors at Massena Central High School. Prom and graduation are memorable times for students, and we are committed to making these times as safe as possible.

The Massena Drug-Free Community Coalition asks local professionals, such as law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, businesses, and other organizations to raise awareness about the real-life and legal consequences of underage drinking.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has made an effort each year to get the word out that underage drinking is against the law and is a crime that results in serious consequences, even at this festive time of year.

It is imperative that our community members work together to educate youth and adults in the community about the consequences. Underage drinking is the nation’s number-one youth drug problem, killing 6.5 times more young people than do all other illicit drugs combined. Heavy drinking is especially dangerous for teenagers, whose brains are still developing, and alcohol related damage incurred at a young age can have long-term effects.

A study by the National Institutes of Health suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25. This information serves as a wakeup call to parents, physicians, elected officials, law enforcement officials, purveyors of alcohol, including the alcohol industry, and teens themselves.

Many people believe that underage drinking is an inevitable “rite of passage” that adolescents can easily recover from because their bodies are more resilient, but the opposite is true.

The Massena Drug-Free Community Coalition hopes messages like these save lives in Massena and its surrounds by reducing incidents of underage drinking through heightened efforts to reduce the occurrence of underage drinking by our youth.

The Massena Drug-Free Community Coalition