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Grassroots coalition targets Montana’s alcohol problem

MONTANA - The newly formed Montana Common Sense Coalition wants to attack the Montana’s troubles with alcohol at their source, and help craft evidence-based policies that save lives and money.

“Let’s start at a place we all understand: Our wallets,” suggested coalition chair Nichol Scribner. “Every year, according to a 2009 study from the University of Montana, irresponsible alcohol use drains half a billion dollars from the Montana’s economy. This amounts to an involuntary tax of more than $500 per person per year in Montana. And rampant underage drinking is one of the main reasons these costs are so out of control.”

Montana’s teenagers binge drink at a higher rate than most other kids in the nation. Then, after high school, one in 10 young adults in the state, ages 18 to 25, becomes alcohol dependent. That’s the highest rate for this age group in the country, and nearly twice the rate as some other states.

Tragically, these high rates of youth binge drinking lead to equally high rates of drinking and driving. In 2007 and 2008, Montana’s roads were the scene of the most alcohol-related traffic fatalities per vehicle miles traveled.

“With every new tragedy comes a new tax on law enforcement and medical services, with additional money lost because people are killed and taken out of the workforce. Montana is in the grips of a costly public health crisis, and irresponsible alcohol use is to blame,” explained Scribner, who is a mother and a former prevention professional based in Glendive.

Other coalition members include: Jim Smith, mayor of Helena and lobbyist for the Montana Sheriff’s and County Attorney’s Associations; Becky Sturdevant, representing Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Leo McCarthy, founder of Mariah’s Challenge; and Tawny Haynes, widow of an MHP officer killed by a drunk driver in March 2009.

“The coalition is one partner in a larger movement to create a healthier, safer Montana,” said Kristin Lundgren, acting secretary of the coalition and an employee at the United Way of Yellowstone County. “We don’t want to lead the nation in alcohol-related problems. We want to lead by example and point the way toward evidence-based solutions.”

Recent statewide news coverage highlighted the coalition’s involvement in the Montana DUI Research Project 2010. The project – which will track individual DUI cases in at least a dozen counties around Montana – is a testament to the growing public concern over DUI. Researchers come from all walks of life. Retirees, college students, prevention professionals and representatives from organizations like MADD have come together to help policymakers gain a better understanding of what really happens when someone is pulled over for DUI in Montana.

“We know that between 2004 and 2008, the number of repeat DUI offenses rose about 16 percent. Why is that? Unfortunately, Montana doesn’t collect comprehensive DUI data, so we’re part of a human-powered database that hopes to guide future policy decisions by digging for answers,” said Lundgren.

The Montana Common Sense Coalition is a grassroots organization invested in reducing drinking and driving, underage drinking and binge drinking in Montana, with the ultimate goal of creating a healthier, safer Montana.