TAHLEQUAH —
Area law enforcement agencies conducted alcohol compliance checks last week throughout Cherokee County.
Operations were conducted by members of the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and Northeastern State University police, and focused on off-site retailers including convenience stores and grocery stores.
Of 11 stores checked in the Tahlequah and Cookson areas, only one store sold to the underage decoy who was used during the compliance checks.
“Compliance checks have been found to be the most effective strategy for enforcing underage drinking laws and decreasing sales of alcohol to underage youth,” said Val Dobbins, coordinator of Tahlequah’s Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together community coalition. “Compliance checks encourage those who sell alcohol to police themselves. Our experience has been that club and convenience store owners in most cases want to follow the law, and compliance checks are a good way to hold them accountable.”
Ben Barnett, a prevention specialist with Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Services, said the results of last week’s compliance checks are encouraging.
“I am happy to know that our area retailers are doing a great job of following the law and keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors,” said Barnett.
In a recent survey, 48 percent of seniors at Tahlequah Public Schools claimed they consumed alcohol at some point in the 30 days prior to the survey. Fifteen percent of them said they bought the alcohol without using a fake identification.
Barnett said he and others with Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Services urge retailers who sell alcohol to take advantage of the free Responsible Beverage Sales and Service Training by call (918) 207-4977 or emailing bhs-prevention @cherokee.org.
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