Editorial: Bravo to effort vs. underage drinking

It’s not an uncommon scene in rural America … underage teens going out into the woods for a kegger or maybe kicking back with friends in the basement to play “beer pong.”

Kids getting their hands on alcohol before the legal age of 21 has become an unfortunate tradition. It’s a good bet that a number of those white crosses alongside our Montana roadways can be attributed to alcohol in some manner.

The case of 19-year-old Eureka girl quickly comes to mind. She was killed just a couple of months ago on Highway 93 near Stryker. Alcohol was a factor in the accident.

That’s just one story about what can happen. Underage drinking has impacted many people – including Maggie Anderson of the Montana Community Change Project.

Anderson had a chat with the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday asking for their support involving a grant that could help in the local battle against underage drinking. She said that the two biggest roadblocks in the county are issues involving manpower and funding. The grant would help establish a cross-jurisdictional enforcement team involving western Montana counties – something that would address both issues.

The commissioners happily offered their support. It seems to be a no-brainer to encourage any avenues possible to cut down on underage drinking.

We applaud the efforts of Anderson and others who continue in the fight to save lives. Let’s hope that positive results will ultimately follow.