Don’t Buy for Minors Campaign

The Nova Scotia Liquor Commission is making it difficult for those who buy for minors and minors who try to buy alcohol.

In an on-going effort to heighten awareness of the problem of underage drinking and to deter second party purchases, the commission will launch its Don’t Buy for Minors campaign. The campaign will run from June 22 to June 30, coinciding with the high school graduation time period.

The campaign, first introduced in the mid 1980s, has liquor store staff conducting frequent ID checks. Concurrently, newspaper ads and posters in stores promote the responsible use of alcohol.

As part of the campaign, the liquor commission will be utilizing the Check 25 program. People shopping in liquor stores who appear to be aged 25 or younger are asked to provide proof of age.

"Not only do we want to verify that they are of legal drinking age, but we want to raise awareness on issues surrounding underage drinking and buying alcohol for minors," said Mr. Strickey, Director of Store Operations.

All liquor store employees take a lead role in making the campaign a success. Since June 2000, staff at liquor stores asked 225,441 customers for legal identification. Sixteen thousand customers were either turned away as a result of inadequate identification or were questioned if it was suspected they were buying alcohol for minors.

"Our store employees work hard to support and manage our socially responsible retailing programs," said John Strickey. Staff participate in a province wide training program designed to improve skills on ID challenges and customer service." It is our staff''s efforts that have made the campaign so successful."

Liquor commission staff will check over 300,000 customer IDs this year.