LEONARDTOWN, MD (February 27, 2024) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has partnered with the Responsible Retailing Forum to sponsor the 21 Matters™ program. This initiative assists local businesses licensed to sell alcohol with ensuring that staff consistently inspect IDs and refuse sales to underage customers.
The majority (89 of 93) of completed inspections in January 2024 demonstrated proper ID-checking – a 96% pass rate. SMCHD thanks our local licensees for preventing underage access to alcohol.
“Point-of-sale age verification for alcohol sales is a critical tool in preventing underage drinking,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “We appreciate our partnership with local alcohol retailers and the Cannabis & Alcohol Coalition to prevent youth access to alcohol.“
The Cannabis & Alcohol Coalition (CAC) addresses the negative impacts of the use of cannabis among young people as well as underage and binge drinking. Membership is free and open to all. Learn more at smchd.org/cac.
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