Three members of the Shawnee Youth Coalition watched Wednesday as the House Public Health Committee approved a bill intended to reduce underage drinking.
Advertisement
The group, which has about 100 Shawnee students in grades eight through 12, developed the bill after being challenged by Rep. Kris Steele to come up with a proposal that would have a statewide effect.
Steele took their suggestion and made it House Bill 2705, which would require drug and alcohol abuse and prevention education be included in all prenatal care offered to expectant parents in Oklahoma.
"What they wanted (is for) all expectant parents in Oklahoma to understand and to know the factual statistics regarding the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse in minors,” Steele said.
The Shawnee Youth Coalition, in its fifth year, hosts a meeting each year to discuss issues and problems in the community, said Jonathan Greenwood, the group's sponsor and community youth coordinator for Gateway to Prevention and Recovery, a Shawnee-based counseling and education organization.
Steele was at the meeting and afterward issued his challenge. In response, coalition members began holding sessions that focused on several issues — college credits, insurance problems, driver's license issues — but they eventually focused on the issue of underage drinking.
"There's so many kids that are already hooked on alcohol that we just wanted to try and stop that as much as possible without telling people they have to stop — just giving them information and trying to help them make their own decisions,” said Gabrielle Spradling, a Shawnee High School sophomore.
No cost for the measure was available, he said. The state Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department would prepare the material that would be given to doctors, who in turn would hand out the brochures to expectant parents. The brochure would provide expectant parents with information and available resources, he said.
The measure now goes to the full House.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Quickest way to reduce under-age drinking? Reduce the legal drinking age to 18. That probably won't help these kids, but you've got to start somewhere.
Buying a Car
Visit NewsOK's latest Know it and get tips on buying the perfect vehicle.
More Info
House Bill 2705
HB 2705 would require prenatal classes to include information on the risks of drug or alcohol use during pregnancy to the unborn child and to the mother; the risks of underage drinking, including information to assist new parents in preventing underage drinking in their own children; and information on screening, assessment, intervention, and referral for treatment of substance dependency.
1
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).