Salt Lake City, UT — Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson will unveil a Parents Empowered Month declaration at a news conference on January 18, 2023. Governor Spencer Cox’s declaration honors Parents Empowered’s work to keep kids alcohol-free so they grow up with healthy brains and reach their full potential.
Joining the lieutenant governor will be Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, and other community leaders and underage drinking prevention advocates.
The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services Director Tiffany Clason says the department oversees the Parents Empowered program as part of its mission to reduce underage drinking due to the harmful effects of alcohol on young, developing brains.
“The governor’s declaration marks the 10-year anniversary of January as ‘Parents Empowered Month’ in Utah, honoring the important and effective grassroots efforts of this program that aims to prevent harmful underage drinking,” said DABS Director Clason. “I am proud of the coordinated, statewide efforts of the Parents Empowered workgroup members who work with dedication to eliminate underage drinking in all Utah communities.”
Clason says that since the community education campaign began, Utah has seen a 64 percent reduction in past 30-day underage drinking rates—the measure of current alcohol use. This equates to an estimated 28,500 fewer youth drinkers. Utah’s regular underage drinking rates are at their lowest levels ever, across all measures.
###