I am writing in reference to the article on Chief King’s response to criticism regarding lack of enforcement of Social Hosting Law. Chief King states, “When enforcing the Social Host Law, which we do in Marblehead, not every call meets the legal threshold for charges or fines… Many situations require careful investigation, documentation, parental engagement and, whenever it is appropriate, an arrest or diversion may occur.”
Maybe I am thinking of this too simplistically but if parties have been repeatedly rousted at the same addresses and property owners/renters contacted about underage drinking, wouldn’t that be enough to establish reasonable cause for charges? At the least, reason to open an investigation? It does seem improbable that Marblehead Police have not responded to a single call since 2017 that has met the legal threshold for charges under the Social Host Law.
Is this a situation of underage drinking simply not being a priority? The truth is underage drinking is a recognized national public health issue. In any given month, a good chunk of kids ages 12-20 have engaged in binge drinking, which is defined as drinking five or more alcoholic beverages at a sitting (7.1% of males, 8.3% of females, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2024). Three percent of high school seniors engaged in high-intensity drinking (10-plus drinks in a row) during the previous two weeks (NSDUH, 2024). It should be noted, alcohol poisoning, which can be deadly, is associated with both binge drinking and high-intensity drinking.
Just shy of three quarters of underage drinkers said they did not pay for the last alcohol they drank but rather that it was given to them by an unrelated adult, family member or friend (NSDUH, 2024). Sounds like our community party houses.
Of course, it isn’t just the kids. There is always collateral damage when tragedy strikes. In Marblehead’s most recent underage drinking fatality, one life was lost, and many more were irrevocably changed. My own family bears testament to the fact that some collateral damage can be worse than death, severe brain injuries and spinal injuries among them.
Although I agree with Chief King about providing intervention to kids caught drinking for the first time, I do not agree that grace should be extended to 40-something-year-old parents who repeatedly host underage drinking events. They deserve swift, decisive consequences.
I hope the Select Board will work with Chief King to prioritize tighter enforcement of the Social Host Law going forward. Enforcement is not the responsibility of the Board of Health, but having gotten the ball rolling, hopefully the Select Board and the Police Department will keep it rolling in the right direction on this important public health issue. If not, I’m sure we can depend on Tom McMahon to apply a little encouragement.
Laurie Barham
West shore Drive
