The Coles County Meth Awareness Coalition is in the process of taking on, arguably, a more difficult challenge than curbing methamphetamine use in the county.

Ke’an Armstrong, president of the coalition, said the group would begin a campaign in at least a month to decrease underage drinking.

The campaign would involve retailers placing stickers on their facilities that warn patrons of the legal implications of underage drinking.

Armstrong said the coalition would also work with the Charleston Police Department, I Sing the Body Electric, which conducts surveys of issues affecting youth in Coles and six other counties in east-central Illinois, and Eastern.

“We realized that with us living in a university town, that this is a problem,” Armstrong said. “We’ve spoken to the police department about it, and they’ve notified that this is a problem. We decided to work hand-in-hand.”

She said the coalition would also try to work with Eastern’s Health Education Resource Center to start a joint campaign that would target college students.

Eric Davidson, associate director of health service, said HERC would meet with the coalition about working together after discussing how Eastern addresses the issue of underage drinking.

The other part of the campaign is to analyze statistics of underage drinking in the county, Armstrong said.

After the sticker campaign, the coalition will monitor the statistics provided by Body Electric to see if the warning labels deterred people from underage drinking and legal adults from buying alcohol for underage students and teens.

Armstrong said the coalition is trying to recruit more retailers to participate in the campaign, adding that Gateway Liquors has agreed to use the stickers in its store.

The group plans to hold a meeting with local retailers, educating them about the campaign. Armstrong did not specify what date the meeting would be held.

The Coalition Against Methamphetamine Abuse conducted a similar campaign in neighboring Edgar and Clark counties the last two years during April, which is Alcohol Awareness Month.

Kristin Chittick, president of CAMA, said the group did not believe the campaign would be a policy changer.

She said the campaign worked as a prominent advertisement, which can have greater influence on an individual the more times a person is exposed to it.

“We don’t have any grandiose ideas of curing the issue, but we certainly know that people have been aware,” Chittick said. “They’ve noticed.”

Cherise Murphy, prevention coordinator for the Coalition Against Methamphetamine Abuse, said the campaign did an excellent job of raising public awareness in the community.

Murphy helped the Coles County coalition initiate its campaign.

She said the campaign in Edgar and Clark counties engaged the public and have been successful in getting people to think about the dangers of underage drinking.

Starting a similar campaign in Coles County will be a different challenge because students and teens have greater access to alcohol, Murphy said.

“It’s definitely a different crowd,” she said.

Murphy said college students, retailers, social service groups and law enforcement officials still have a great opportunity to deliver a strong message to teens.

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission provides the stickers to the state and local groups interested in addressing underage drinking.

Armstrong said the Coles County coalition has expanded its objectives in the last year, with an emphasis on engaging the Coles County youth and community.

She said methamphetamine abuse in the county is still prevalent but has diminished over the last few years, allowing the coalition to expand its outreach.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.