RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL SALES IN GRANT COUNTY

Grant County has allowed packaged alcohol sales in our community since December of 2015.  With this change in law, comes great responsibility on behalf of our alcohol retailers and servers.  The Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) is tasked with the enforcement of tobacco and alcohol laws across the state and to help in the prevention of underage drinking and tobacco use.  One way the ABC ensures enforcement of state alcohol laws is through compliance checks.

Since January 2016, there have been 13 alcohol compliance checks conducted by the ABC in Grant County.  Out of these 13 checks, 3 alcohol retailers have been found in non-compliance with state alcohol laws.  These checks are conducted using 2 ABC officers and an underage investigative aide, hired by the ABC.  The investigative aide enters each alcohol retail outlet with the intention of purchasing alcohol.  If the purchase is successful, meaning the underage youth was able to purchase alcohol from the store, then both the store clerk and store owner are penalized.  Depending on the frequency of this violation, the penalties can range from monetary fines to jail time, and can result in the store owner losing their license to sell alcohol in the community.

According to our 2016 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Survey, 52% of 10^th graders in Grant County believe that alcohol is “sort of easy” or “very easy” to get, and 3% of 12^th graders report being able to obtain alcohol from convenience stores.  It is very important that all alcohol retailers in our community, whether it be a restaurant or a store, recognize their role in the prevention of underage drinking.  Asking for proper identification, following all state and local alcohol laws, and reporting any violations will go a long way in the fight against underage alcohol use in Grant County.

If any alcohol retailers need assistance with training employees or need additional resources surrounding compliance with state and local alcohol laws, please contact Camille at [email protected] or (859)824-7161 x6420.

We all have roles to play in the prevention of underage drinking.  As residents of Grant County, we are asking that you report any violations that you may witness to the ABC at (502)564-4850.