In an effort to combat underage drinking in Milwaukee, Jewel-Osco and Anheuser-Busch are working together to make underage alcohol consumption significantly more difficult.

For the past two years, Jewel and Busch have partnered in the fight against underage alcohol consumption, said Lauri Sanders, director of Public Affairs for Jewel-Osco. Jewel locations in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, host signs warning consumers that if they aren’t 21, they had better forget about buying alcohol.

All Jewel-Osco locations require a training program for their employees that must be passed, Sanders said. The training includes classroom work, a video and a workbook that must be completed. Employees are taught how to spot fraudulent IDs and must card anyone who does not appear to be over 35 years old, Sanders said.

But carding does not always work.

Jane Smith (not her real name), a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said that she and her boyfriend use their fake Minnesota licenses when buying alcohol.

“My boyfriend buys it usually because it’s more of a thrill for guys,” Smith said. “We usually get beer or Smirnoff Ice. We get nicer alcohol at restaurants. We haven’t really had any problems with the IDs.”

Individual Jewel-Osco stores are not allowed to talk about situations like Smith’s, a manager at the Silver Spring Drive location said.

As a further part of the combat against underage drinking, Jewel-Osco supports organizations in the Midwest, including the UWM Police Department, to contribute to increased awareness of drug and alcohol abuse, Sanders said.

The UWM Police Department received $500 in September, which will be used as a general contribution, Sanders said.

The department will most likely put the donation into the new Diversion Program starting this semester, said Detective Martin Cavan of the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Task Force.

The program, geared at educating students on campus about the dangers associated with drinking, will give first-time offenders the chance to avoid an underage-drinking ticket, Cavan said.

Upon offense, students who choose to be involved in the program will find themselves in a classroom situation, where they will learn about the problems that arise from alcohol use, both in drinking and the actions that may follow, and also meet with educators to gain insight into potential patterns in their drinking, Cavan said.

If a problem is detected, the student will be directed to either the Norris Health Center or a community treatment, Cavan said. Students involved in the program will have to “graduate” from the course, including completing two face-to-face interviews with the educators in order to have their ticket dropped.

If the student fails, they will have to pay the ticket, which is usually around $250, Cavan said. The price of the class is $85.

The educators who will help the students in the program will be UWM graduate students in either the psychology or social work programs and will be trained to handle the cases, Cavan said.

“They are ideal candidates to provide the information (about underage drinking),” Cavan said. “This will be a good experience for them.”

One reason underage students drink is that they are testing the waters of their newfound freedom, Cavan said. This program, along with several others offered on campus, aims to help teach students to make healthy choices about alcohol and other drugs, he said.

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