Malt Liquor, Fortified Wine Threaten Youth

Mickey Mouse, Colt 45 and Night Train. In Orange County, these names mean more than, say, a Disneyland character, a gun or an evening train. They are brand names for malt liquor and highly potent, fortified wine products.

Malts (beer made with sugar for an extra alcoholic kick) range in alcohol content up to 8.0%, compared to regular beer at 4.5%. State legislation was recently passed to label all products “beer,” providing more gray area for consumers to know exactly what they are buying. Beer analysts say malt liquor is the fastest growing market and now the industry can make new dangerous products with up to 19% alcohol and call them beer. Malts have nearly twice the potency of regular beer, but after June 30 of this year, the word “beer” can be used for malt liquor of any strength.

Fortified wines combine youth appealing flavors, sugar, high proof distilled spirits and other, unknown chemicals to produce wine with a potency up to 20% compared to 10% for table wine. Fortified wine producers refuse to disclose the exact contents of these wines, saying it is a trade secret. It’s no secret that a pint bottle of Cisco, costing $1.69, is the equivalent of five vodka shots.

These high-risk products are a concern for many local communities in Orange County. A recent assessment completed by Placentia and Anaheim High School Teens, YMCA communities in Prevention-North, and the Placentia Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition found that 90% of convenience and liquor stores surveyed sold malt liquor, 45% sell fortified wines, and most were found in low-income neighborhoods.

Associated with alcohol-related violence and gang activity, these products have an impact greater than 80 proof vodka. For example, one 40 ounce product is equivalent to a six-pack of beer. Claims that the alcohol industry does not market to youth are translucent when compared to the availability of youth-oriented, sweet, fortified wine and cheap malt liquors.

Most youths view beer as harmless and are misled by the advertising and widespread availability of fortified products developed to entice them to drink often and in large quantities. Statewide research has shown that nearly 70% of high school juniors and seniors report drinking and about 30% of students report easy access to alcohol in convenience stores, liquor stores and markets. Further, Alcoholic Beverage Control “sting” operations routinely find that 50% or more of stores illegally sell to underage youth.

Cisco and Thunderbird sell for about $1.25, making them widely available, due to their low price, to at-risk teens and gang members. Similarly, during the ‘80s cooler craze, teens experimented with new products that look and taste like soda. Many teens ended up in emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning. With products cheaper than soda and bottled water, fortified drinks offer more punch for the money.

Because schools are the center for learning and healthy development, county teachers, parents and school administrators should be concerned about youth use of these dangerous products and developing appropriate school alcohol policies and enforcement. These alcohol products add more hopelessness to youth in an environment of poverty, drugs, violence and crime that some teens grow up in.

Orange County schools are safer than others in the state, yet, as The Times reported on Feb. 27, alcohol and other drug-related offenses ranked as the second highest crime category. Preventing problems resulting from access to fortified products in communities that surround schools should be a concern of school districts and Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Education (DATE) coordinators.

There clearly is a role for schools and coalitions to address the question of the availability of alcohol to youth, and to improve health and safety. Since the research shows that lower availability of alcohol has been linked directly to a decrease in related problems, focus should be placed on access in school parenting and peer programs.

Youth-oriented rap songs glorify these alcohol products. Artist and product promoter Ice Cube (who drinks a St. Ides fortified beer in a video as he flashes gang hand signs) promises sexual potency. Other rap artists suggest taking the “Night train down to Cisco” and “Tapping the Bottle.” Because schools, teachers and parents cannot prevent all problems associated with these dangerous products, rap artists, merchants and the alcohol industry who profit from the sales of fortified products should take a greater responsibility.