The Honolulu Liquor Commission says underage drinking appears to be on the rise. And to combat the problem, it's offering to arm parents with free saliva testing strips they can use to see whether their children have consumed alcohol.

Child advocates support the plan, saying the campaign gives parents a powerful new tool. But many also said parents should use the test kits as a last resort, and follow a positive test result with thorough discussions with their kids.

Forrest Hawkins, of 'Aiea, was offered the testing strip last week after calling the liquor commission to complain about how his 18-year-old daughter got alcohol at a bar.

Hawkins accepted the testing kit — a saliva testing strip that determines approximate blood alcohol level.

But Hawkins said he probably wouldn't use the test unless he wasn't getting anywhere by talking with his daughter.

"I'm not going to do it just because," he said.

Dewey Kim, administrator for the Honolulu Liquor Commission, said Hawkins' approach is the right one. The strips, he said, should be used in conjunction with discussion and education. The commission has about 1,000 testing kits available, and will order more if demand is higher.

The kits cost about $2, but are free to parents.

They are guaranteed to offer no false positives.

EFFORT GETS APPLAUSE

The campaign comes as other states and cities also are offering free testing kits as a way to fight underage drinking.

Some Mainland child-welfare advocates have opposed giving out the kits, saying the tests undermine trust between a parent and child and incite arguments — not discussions.

But locally, advocates are applauding the campaign.

The tests, the Honolulu Liquor Commission says, are designed to give parents a way to start discussions about alcohol with their underage children, and potentially keep kids honest about how much they've been drinking.

And Kim said the new testing program is part of an ongoing comprehensive plan — including enforcement and education in schools — to curb underage drinking, a problem that Kim and other advocates say is worsening.

Though there are no new statistics to back up the assertions, if they're right, the increase would buck a trend of declining liquor use among minors over the past 20 years.

About 37 percent of Hawai'i eighth-graders surveyed in 2003 said they had tried alcohol at some point, compared with 49 percent in 2000 and 64 percent in 1987, according to the latest figures from a state Health Department survey.

The survey also showed 73 percent of high school seniors in 2003 had tried alcohol, compared with 86 percent in 1987.

Kim said he believes alcohol use among minors is up based on complaints from parents, an increase in violations at stores and bars, and anecdotes from advocates.

MORE VIOLATIONS

So far this year, commission investigators have issued 329 violations against liquor licensees for serving alcohol to minors. Figures for last year were not available, but in 2005, 86 violations for serving alcohol to minors were issued.

Kim attributes some of the increase to more enforcement.

But he said any increase in the numbers is alarming.

Jeff Smith, acting chief investigator for the liquor commission, said his investigators have seen children as young as 11 trying to buy alcohol. Some are able to purchase it themselves, but many get an adult to buy it for them.

Kim said he also has seen cases of teens being served alcohol in clubs, or drinking alcohol served to their 21-and-over friends.

"It's becoming a real big problem," he said.

Hawkins, the 'Aiea father, said his 18-year-old gets drinks from older friends. She has told him that alcohol is easy to get in bars, and prevalent among young crowds.

Hawkins said he has talked with his daughter several times about the dangers of underage drinking. Some of the talks seem to be reaching her, he said, but his daughter still drinks.

"She doesn't feel it's a big deal," he said.

Sean Spriggs, a community educator with the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawai'i, said he believes underage drinking has been on the rise for the past two years. The group at highest risk, he said, are those 14 to 18 years old.

He said the alcohol testing strips will not be for all situations, and parents will have to find out "what works and what doesn't work." But he said the test could give parents leverage when they are telling their kids not to drink or quizzing them about whether they have been drinking.

"It's an educational tool," he said.

Kim said the campaign is being covered by the commission's existing budget. For now, there are no plans to request more money for the campaign, he said.

Separately, the state Department of Health is in the midst of a five-year, $10 million federal grant to determine the scope of underage drinking in Hawai'i, said Keith Yamamoto, chief of the Health Department's alcohol and drug abuse division.

The grant will be used to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with underage drinking in Hawai'i.

Yamamoto said preliminary data gathered since September 2006, when the study started, shows underage drinking is a "significant issue" in the Islands.

He said the testing kits aren't a solution on their own.

But coupled with other initiatives — including prevention programs, increased enforcement and identifying alcohol abuse early — it could produce some good results.

"We don't want to use the kits as a means of catching people," he said. "It's a means of talking about the issue."

Carol McNamee, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Hawai'i, said parents whose children are abusing alcohol probably don't need a testing kit to confirm their suspicions. But, she said, the test could be "a way of confronting the child" to confirm their concerns.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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