SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10
(By Senators Prezioso, Rowe, Ross, Caldwell, Hunter, Sharpe,
McKenzie, Sprouse, Oliverio, Minear, Burnette, Boley, Helmick,
Fanning, Edgell, Kessler, McCabe, Unger, Anderson, Bailey,
Snyder, Plymale, Bowman, Jackson and Tomblin, Mr. President)
Requesting the Department of Health and Human Resources, in
cooperation with the Department of Education, the Attorney
General, the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety
and the Department of Transportation, conduct a study of the
problem of teenage in-vehicle drinking and related drug use.
Whereas, Teenagers, with ready access to motor vehicles, have
become increasingly mobile which adds a fluid dynamic to the manner
in which they consume alcohol and illicit drugs. Alcohol and drug
abuse by teenagers has not significantly declined in the past
several years and it remains unacceptably high; and
Whereas, In 1998, 1,695 15- to 19-year-olds were killed in
alcohol-related traffic accidents across America; and
Whereas, The Aluminum Anonymous Project surveyed 775 miles of
West Virginia roadsides for the discard rate of alcoholic beverage
containers in September, 1997, November, 1998 and April, 2000, and
determined an average of 800 beer cans-bottles were discarded per
mile of road annually. Professionals working with teens and adults
in alcohol and drug settings estimated that 50 percent of the
discarded alcohol containers were coming from teenagers; and
Whereas, A report from the National Center on Substance Abuse
and Addiction in January, 2001, states that only 2 percent of the
$339 million total that West Virginia spends annually on substance
abuse problems goes to prevention and treatment, while the
remaining 98 percent goes to cleaning up the effects of substance
abuse and addiction; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Department of Health
and Human Resources, in cooperation with the Department of
Education, the Attorney General, the Department of Military Affairs
and Public Safety and the Department of Transportation, conduct a
study of the problem of teenage in-vehicle drinking and related
drug use by: (a) Assembling what is known and not known about this
behavior and its dynamic, prevalence and incidence; and (b)
assessing the effectiveness of policies and programs, including
development, implementation and evaluation, and gauging the
adequacy of interagency cooperation, including data-sharing and
program reporting; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Department of Health and Human
Resources report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2003,
on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with
drafts of any legislation necessary to effect its recommendations.