space Combating Underage Drinking Program

The problem of underage drinking continues to plague the country. The use of alcohol by minors has tragic consequences. When juveniles drink, they often indulge in behavior that is both illegal and dangerous. Recognizing the magnitude of this problem, Congress established the Combating Underage Drinking (CUD) Program in FY 1998 and appropriated $25 million to OJJDP for implementation. (In FY 1999, Congress changed the name of the program to Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws.)

OJJDP moved quickly to implement CUD, awarding $18,360,000 in block grants to 50 eligible States and the District of Columbia, $5 million in discretionary assistance awards, and $1,640,000 for training and technical assistance. (This chapter describes only block grants awarded under the program; the remaining CUD activities are described in chapter 1.)

Each State and the District of Columbia were awarded a block grant of $360,000. States used the funds to support activities in one or more of the following three priority areas identified by Congress:

  • Enforcement: 35 States implemented enforcement activities, such as creating statewide law enforcement and prosecution task forces to target establishments suspected of consistently selling alcohol to minors.

  • Public education: 29 States initiated public education activities, ranging from sponsoring media contests to creating billboard messages.

  • Program innovation: 33 States developed innovative programs designed to reduce underage drinking, such as creating youth task forces to examine community norms and the messages that young people are receiving and hiring individuals to act as liaisons between youth and other members of communities in matters related to alcohol consumption.

To be eligible to receive a CUD block grant, each jurisdiction was required to designate an agency to serve as the point of contact to apply for, receive, and administer the block grant. The designated agency was required to design a comprehensive approach to address the problem of underage drinking and to describe how Federal funds would be used to implement that approach. OJJDP encouraged States to collaborate with existing public and private efforts, including those of foundations and national organizations.


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OJJDP Annual Report 1998 October 1999