Anheuser-Busch Praises California Legislature for Approving Underage-Drinking Prevention Bill

ST. LOUIS .– Anheuser-Busch today applauded the California State Legislature for passing A.B. 1658, a bill that increases the fines for minors caught attempting to purchase alcohol or manufacture fake I.D.s.

“We commend bill sponsor Assemblywoman Sharon Runner and members of the State Assembly and State Senate for taking this significant step to help fight underage drinking among California youth by cracking down on fake I.D.s,” stated Andrew Baldonado, region vice president of Government Affairs at Anheuser-Busch.

The legislation contains a number of provisions to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, including increased penalties for teens caught purchasing or attempting to procure alcohol, possessing fraudulent identification, or manufacturing or selling false identification cards.

“This law will help complement and reinforce the declines in underage drinking that have occurred here in California,” Baldonado noted. “According to the federal government’s most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 84 percent of California adolescents, ages 12 to 17, are doing the right thing by not drinking. Likewise, teen drunk-driving fatalities are down 45 percent statewide since 1990, according to the Department of Transportation.”

Anheuser-Busch is currently celebrating a century of commitment to the Golden State and part of that commitment is promoting responsibility. Since 1982, the company and its 600 wholesalers nationwide, including the 44 in California, have led the alcohol beverage industry in alcohol awareness initiatives by promoting responsibility and respect for the law, investing more than $675 million in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships. This includes community-based programs that help retailers train employees on how to prevent sales to minors; help parents talk with their children about not drinking; remind adults not to buy alcohol for teens or provide it to them at teen parties; and assist schools in reminding teens to make responsible decisions.

In 2007, for the fourth year in a row, Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” and “Global Most Admired Companies.” More information about Anheuser-Busch’s responsibility programs is available at www.beeresponsible.com.