Two local police chiefs and Gloucester High School's principal will be among a group of North Shore policymakers focusing on the physiological, criminal and civil consequences of underage drinking on Tuesday morning.
Their meeting will follow a Monday evening presentation on the latest research on the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain, and is designed to outline the legal consequences of the social host liability law.
Tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Peabody Marriott, Dr. Aaron White and attorney Richard Campbell will speak at "A Parent Leadership Event," organized by Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett.
White is the program director of Underage and College Drinking Prevention Research at the National Institute of Alcohol, and is the author of "Keeping Adolescence Healthy." Campbell is in private practice in Boston, and presents nationally on the topic of social host liability.
Blodgett, meanwhile, has invited each middle and high school in the county to send representatives from their Parent Teacher Organizations, who will be encouraged to share this information with all parents in their school districts. Although there is no cost for this event, space is limited so pre-registration is required.
Among those attending from Cape Ann will be Gloucester Police Chief Michael Lane, Gloucester High School Principal William Goodwin and Essex Police Chief Peter Silva.
The policymakers are being brought together by Blodgett over breakfast Tuesday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. — also at the Peabody Marriott — to hear a panel of national experts address the issue of underage drinking.
"In the time that I have been district attorney, the scientific research on the harmful effects of alcohol on adolescent brain development has advanced dramatically," Blodgett said in a prepared statement. "This new information, along with what we already know about the higher incidences of death and sexual and physical assaults among young people who drink versus those who do not, makes a compelling case that underage drinking is a big deal and must be taken seriously,"
Although there is no cost to attend the morning event, which is by invitation only, space is limited, so reservations are required.
For more information on either event, contact Ruth Budelmann, Mariellen Fidrych or Meghan Meagher of the Essex County District Attorney's office at 978-745-6610.
Both events are funded by a grant from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Highway Safety Division.
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