Project Sticker Shock Campaign Highlights Consequences of Providing Alcohol to Youth

Page updated on October 7, 2024 at 12:09 PM
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For Immediate Release: October 7, 2024 
Media Contact: Emma Beall, emma.beall@alexandriava.gov, 703.746.3670 

Alexandria, Va. – The City of Alexandria shocked local shoppers this past weekend with the Project Sticker Shock Campaign. The youth-led event kicked off with a press conference at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center featuring City, youth, and community leaders speaking up about the importance of preventing underage alcohol access. 

Following the press conference, 57 youth split into teams and visited 45 retail stores to place warning stickers, provided by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, on multi-packs of alcohol to highlight the legal consequences of providing alcohol to persons under 21. All participating stores received a certificate in recognition of their partnership.

This annual campaign aims to reach community members ages 21 and older that may purchase alcohol legally and then illegally provide it to a person under age 21 – also referred to as a second-party sale. In Virginia, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to provide alcohol to a minor. It is also illegal for anyone to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol. Adults that provide alcohol to persons under age 21 can face the following penalties upon conviction:

A $2,500 fine per young person given alcohol

  • Up to 12 months in jail
  • Loss of the driver’s license for up to 12 months.

This event was hosted by the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA), the Alexandria Police Department; the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office; the Department of Community and Human Services; the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities; and the Alexandria City High School U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. 

SAPCA is an alliance of parents, youth, schools, city health and recreation agencies, media, nonprofits, businesses, policymakers, and law enforcement. Our mission is to engage diverse sectors of the community in collaborative, cross-cultural, and comprehensive substance abuse prevention efforts that result in a reduction of underage substance use and abuse in the City of Alexandria. 

Visit alexandriava.gov/SAPCA to learn more about the coalition, including ways to get involved. 

To report concerns regarding the sale or provision of alcohol to youth under age 21, call the Alexandria Police Department’s non-emergency number at 703.746.4444 or file a report online to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.