Once again, Santa Fe is dealing with a DWI tragedy. When are we going to realize that individuals like Scott Owens started drinking as a young person. Underage drinking is not acceptable. It is not a right of passage. It is not just kids having fun. Alcohol is a danger to children's health and safety!

In 2007, New Mexico had the highest rate in the nation for youth drinking alcohol before the age of 13: DWI perpetrators of the future? Young people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at 21. In addition, motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young people 15 to 20 years of age with alcohol being the No. 1 contributing factor.

What do we know about underage drinking in Santa Fe?

• 52 percent of high school students reported being a current drinker (had at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days).
• 66 percent of current drinkers were binge drinkers (drank five drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours in the past 30 days).
• 33.9 percent of high school students had their first drink before the age of 13. The New Mexico rate of 30.7 percent is the highest in the nation.
• 13.1 percent of students reported drinking and driving, while 33.2 percent rode with a drinking driver.
• Santa Fe has the fourth highest rate of current drinking among the 33 New Mexico counties.

We owe it to the safety of our children and community to reinforce the seriousness of drinking. Parents, law enforcement, judges and the Juvenile Probation and Parole Office must stop thinking that underage drinking is harmless and begin treating it with the seriousness it requires.

The number of young people drinking in Santa Fe County is not acceptable. We need to work together as a community to reduce underage drinking. Reducing underage drinking now will reduce DWI tragedies in the future. Now is the time to impress upon our youth that drinking is illegal and that driving and drinking is deadly.

The Santa Fe Community Partnership convenes a coalition of community members, service providers and other organizations, to build community capacity to address issues of concern. For additional information about the Partnership, or to schedule an interview call 505-955-1812 or e-mail scohen@nmvoices.org.

Shelley Cohen is co-director of Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools. She lives in Villanueva.