Lucky 13 Chenango Establishments in Compliance, One Violates NY Bev Control Law

An underage Drinking Initiative was conducted in Chenango County on Thursday.   State Police report that one business out of the fourteen that they checked allegedly sold alcohol to a minor.

During the initiative authorities say that a trooper is sent in civilian clothes along with “one or several underaged operative(s) who cannot lie about their age or give a fake date of birth (if asked).  When asked for ID, they must show their real ID.”

According to the NYSP, B&W Wines & Liquor in Bainbridge “was found not in compliance under the New York Beverage Control Law Section 65, Prohibited Sale to Person Under the Age of 21.”

According to the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, or “OASAS” (formerly known as the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services), drinking alcoholic substances from an early can have serious consequences ranging from addiction to cancer to vulnerable actions that may result in vehicular accidents and assaults.

Jamestown Business College quotes OASAS as estimating that “Each year students spend 5.5 billion dollars on alcohol.  This is more than they spend on soft drinks, milk, juice, tea, coffee and books combined.”

The same publication quotes “Underage Drinking in New York The Fact,” a publication of The International Institute for Alcohol Awareness, a Project of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), as estimating that “(underage drinking costs) the citizens of New York State $3.2 billion dollars in 2005.”

Although some view the underage drinking initiatives to be unfair to retailers, other cite the responsibilities of those who possess licenses to serve alcohol.

During the latest initiative those businesses that passed the investigation were:

• Stewart’s Shop – North Main Street, New Berlin, NY
• Kwik Fill – North Main Street, New Berlin, NY
• Mirabito Quickway – South Main Street, New Berlin, NY
• Mirabito Quickway – State Route 8, New Berlin, NY
• Stewart’s Express – State Route 8, Guilford, NY
• Smiley’s Stop N’ Shop – Main Street, Guilford, NY
• Smiley’s – North Main Street, Bainbridge, NY
• Sunoco/Country Store – South Main Street, Bainbridge, NY
• Mirabito – East River Street, Bainbridge, NY
• Speedway – State Highway 7, Bainbridge, NY
• Afton Country Store – Maple Avenue, Afton, NY
• Mirabito Quickway – Main Street, Afton, NY

In the case of the one establishment that served alcohol to a minor, the clerk who served the minor was issued an appearance ticket for a future court appearance.