FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 18, 2015

CONTACT:
Lois Callahan, Project Director (202) 329-8227, lncallahan.dcyouthfirst@gmail.com
Susie Cambria, Co-coordinator (301) 832-2339, scambria@w7sdcc.org

Community Coalition Opposes Alcohol Ads on Metrorail and Buses

Ads have been shown to increase youth interest in alcohol and the more they see, the greater the risk of
drinking
WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2015: The Ward 7 Safe & Drug-free Communities Coalition
(Coalition) is vehemently opposed to the WMATA proposal to repeal the 1994 ban on alcohol advertising
on Metro buses and rail cars and calls on the Metro board to maintain the ban when they vote on the
revenue proposal November 19, 2015.
The community group formalized its opposition with letters to WMATA board chair Mortimer Downey,
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, and WMATA board representative
Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans.
"WMATA is considering changing their 20-year old alcohol ad ban for money," said Lois Callahan, project
director of the Coalition. She continued, "The last thing young people need is more exposure to ads for
alcoholic beverages."
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found television ads increased alcohol use among teens and young
adults. Callahan says alcoholic beverage print ads are also influential. In 2014, the Coalition gathered
more than 2,500 signatures and worked with Ward 7 Councilmember Alexander to limit to 25% the
amount of space alcohol ads could take up in retailer windows. "This limit mitigates the effects of
advertising by reducing the exposure youth have," says Callahan. She continued, "Councilmember Evans
fully supported that bill, as did every other member."
Continuing the current ban on alcohol ads on WMATA property will prevent repetitive, unavoidable,
excessive youth exposure to alcohol ads, particularly in light of Mayor Bowser's Kids Ride Free program.
"There are more than 17,000 children and youth who live in Ward 7. That's a lot of eyes looking at ads
every day," said Susie Cambria, coalition co-coordinator. She continued, "We have an obligation to
protect our children."
The Ward 7 Safe & Drug-free Communities Coalition is a nonprofit organization, incorporated in the District of
Columbia and organized to promote substance abuse prevention among youth and adults living in Ward 7 in the
District of Columbia. The Coalition promotes prevention through resident education and empowerment.
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4645 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE
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