In the debate about Walnut Creek’s downtown bar scene, remember that alcohol is a drug

Yes, that’s right, alcohol is a drug, the most widely used in the United States. 

Whether it’s dressed up as glass of fine red wine, a boutique brew or an artistically designed cocktail, drinks containing alcohol alter mind and mood and play with some of the same pleasure-producing neurotransmitters affected by opioid pain killers, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. 

That means that downtown establishments serving alcohol are dispensing a drug.  

I know, I know. I'm spoiling everyone's fun. People don’t like to equate alcohol with drugs because, well, alcohol is different, right? Alcohol isn’t dirty – not like street drugs. It is associated with consumers who are sophisticated, educated and affluent, with people who are good, responsible citizens. 

A glass of wine with a meal? A martini before dinner? Is there anything wrong with that?
No. Indeed, the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages has a rich tradition in cultures around the world, going back to the world’s early civilizations. It plays a central role in religious and social rituals, and in the appreciation of good food and of life itself.  Scientific research also presents strong evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol provides of range of health benefits.

A lot of things I’ve just written about alcohol are true. But that doesn’t change the fact that alcohol is a drug. 

As for alcohol not being dirty? Alcohol actually causes more harm to individuals, families and societies worldwide than crack cocaine, heroin and other legal and illegal drugs, according to a 2010 study published by the British medical journal The Lancet. 

About two-thirds of American adults reporting drinking alcohol to various degrees. Anywhere from 15 to 17 million of those are alcoholics or have drinking problems. Thirty-four percent of people over the age of 12 are alcoholics or engage in what public health officials call risky drinking. Excessive alcohol use increases people’s risk for cancer and liver and brain damage. 

Abuse and addiction to alcohol has devastating consequences for people around the drinker. A new study says 7.1 million children under 18 live with parents with "an alcohol use disorder." America's "drinking problem," as one publication put it, costs about $225 billion a year in medical expenses, crime and lost productivity.


Where Walnut Creek’s downtown night life is concerned, alcohol-impaired drivers were involved in 1 in 3 traffic related deaths in 2009, resulting in 11,000 deaths. About 40 percent of violent crimes committed in the United States involved alcohol. Two-thirds of victims who suffered violence by “intimate” partners reported that alcohol had been a factor. 

The city is drafting an ordinance that would tie regulation of alcohol-serving establishments to public health and safety, rather than to land use. Treating the regulation of downtown's alcohol serving establishment as a health and safety issue is a good step. By the way, the statistics cited above come from agencies involved in public health and safety: the U.S. Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.

The city wants more authority to deal with problem bars, Mayor Bob Simmons told the Contra Costa Times. The owners of downtown’s drug dispensaries – er,  bars – worry that additional laws would cut into their hours for alcohol service and cost them money and possibly their businesses.
In a letter to the city, the 15 members of the newly formed  Walnut Creek Hospitality Group said they are ready to go to court to fight against any new regulations that would hurt their livelihoods, according to the Times. 

Some residents would respond to bar owners’ concerns: “Cry me a river.” In an astute op-ed column for the Times, City Council member Kristina Lawson said that“Walnut Creek is a successful, thriving, family-focused community. But with success brings great responsibility.”

So yes, Walnut Creek has a thriving nightlife. A lot of that has to do with the more than 100 businesses in the downtown core area that are licensed to serve alcohol. Between midnight and 2 a.m., as many as 1500 people are at bars still open downtown, according to a May 2009 city staff report. 

I am no prohibitionist who wants the city to close up at 10 p.m  I understand people wanting to get together with friends for drinks.  I’ve been known to enjoy that pastime myself.  I appreciate the way a drink can be relaxing and intoxicating.  Of course, one might get a similar sedative effect from taking a Valium or Xanax, but a glass of nice wine tastes better and goes better with dinner.

Alcohol is the drug of choice of all the people coming into downtown to drink. Having lots of people downtown on weekend nights, hanging out in bars or moving from one to another, all getting buzzed or drunk, increases the likelihood of trouble  -- as we’ve seen in a series of brawls breaking out on weekend nights over the past few months. 

I can understand that some city leaders have concerns about fairness when it comes to deciding how late a bar can stay open. They don’t want to hurt the livelihood of a small business owner who says he is just providing a venue for people to relax and enjoy themselves.

But as Lawson said, the laws in this city “need to be firmly on the side of our residents, visitors and public safety officers -- not on the side of a small minority of businesses who cannot properly regulate and restrain their behavior and the behavior of their patrons.” 

These business owners  need to recognize that they are peddling a product that carries consequences for public health and safety.  With its new ordinance and with increasing police patrols on weekend nights, the city is showing that it finally is recognizing this reality as well.

Another WCI student caught with pot--may be related to earlier case

An eighth-grader at Walnut Creek Intermediate was caught bringing a small amount of marijuana and a pipe to school, Principal Kevin Collins advised parents Friday. That student was also arrested by the Walnut Creek Police Department and "is no longer enrolled in the Walnut Creek School District."

Collins adds that "while we were unable to confirm, this situation may have been related to the marijuana possession case that occurred before break." Collins says in his e-mail to parents:

"We remain committed to providing a safe and drug free school environment. In light of this, WCI administrators will be visiting classes to reiterate school rules regarding drugs and alcohol. We are again asking parents to talk with students regarding the negative effects of drugs and alcohol. Our school and parents need to work together to address these issues at WCI."

As for the earlier marijuana case to which Collins refers? I reported, back on December 19, that before the winter holiday break, a student was caught in possession of a lighter, pipe, and small amount of marijuana. Collins said back in December:

"Our disciplinary code also calls for a five-day suspension for any drug or paraphernalia possession or use, and also calls for police contact. The Walnut Creek Police Department typically places a student who is caught with drugs on a school campus into custody and transports them to the police station."

In that December e-mail, Collins assured parents that alcohol and drug possession cases are "rare" at Walnut Creek Intermediate. I noted that it is true that suspensions for drug and alcohol possession are "rare," according to reports the district makes to the state Department of Education. During the 2008-09 school year, a total of 100 Walnut Creek school district students were suspended, but only one was caught in possession or was involved in sales of alcohol or drugs.

No students in the district were expelled last school year. However, the district has already expelled one student, and the above language about the eighth-grader disciplined this week--that the student "is no longer enrolled" in the district--suggests another expulsion might be in the works. It is the same language Collins used about one of two students involved in two separate incidents back in November, when these students were caught with knives on campus. 

Some numbers behind recent drug, alcohol, and weapons possession cases at Walnut Creek Intermediate

Two Walnut Creek Intermediate students were suspended this past week for possession of alcohol and marijuana, according to a e-mail sent out by Principal Kevin Collins:

The first case involved a student who was in possession of a small bottle of cognac. Our disciplinary code calls for a five day suspension for any alcohol possession or use at school.

The second involved a student who was in possession of a lighter, pipe, and small amount of marijuana. Our disciplinary code also calls for a five day suspension for
any drug or paraphernalia possession or use, and also calls for police contact. The Walnut Creek Police Department typically places a student who is caught with drugs on a school campus into custody and transports them to the police station, as was done today.

Collins suggested that parents continue to have conversations with their children regarding drug and alcohol use. He added that these two cases happened on the same day, which is unusual. He added that these situations are "rare occurrences" for the school.

It is true that suspensions for drug and alcohol possession are "rare." During the 2008-09 school year, a total of 100 students were suspended, but only one was caught in possession or was involved in sales of alcohol or drugs, according to reports to the state Department of Education.

However, a somewhat larger number of WCI students are using or experimenting. According to a 2007 Healthy Kids Survey of 335 WCI 7th graders (86 percent of the class), 13 percent said they had tried alcohol at least once in their lives, while 3 percent said they had tried marijuana. Eight percent said they had consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days, while 2 percent said they had used pot.

As for what kids are getting into trouble for at Walnut Creek Intermediate?

The majority of those 100 suspended in the 2008-09 year were punished for violent, rude, and disruptive behavior. Forty-one were suspended for use of "force or violence"; 26 for disrupting school activities or "willful defiance"; and 15 for committing an "obscene act" or "habitual profanity or vulgarity." Of some concern--in light of the recent rape case at the El Cerrito middle school, in which the victim claimed she had been previously sexually harassed by her rapist--is the fact that five WCI students were suspended in 2008-09 for sexual harassment.

No WCI students were expelled in 2008-09. But so far this year, there has been one student in the Walnut Creek school district expelled, according to a summary of the district's December 7 board meeting. The summary of that meeting did not indicate whether the student was a middle or elementary school student.

Last month, WCI dealt with two separate incidents in one week of two students being caught with knives. In one case, a student was packing a "locking blade knife," was released to the custody of his parents, and school officials say the student is no longer enrolled at WCI.

Again, it's rare for students to be caught with weapons at WCI. In the 2008-09, three students were suspended for being caught with weapons, including knives. It should be noted that none of those weapons involved firearms.

In fact, in perusing data for expulsions and suspensions for Walnut Creek four public middle and high schools, going back to the 2004-05 year, I found that no student had been caught with a gun.

Your kid’s brain, and how alcohol, pot, and other drugs can mess with its development

So much is going on in brain science these days: it’s all pretty exciting and illuminating.

Scientists can scan brains and see, for example, how the brain of someone with schizophrenia differs from someone who doesn’t have it. They also understand more about the biology of addiction, and they know that our brains apparently don’t stop growing and developing until we’re 25. So, there are apparently biological, anatomical reasons for why, for example, our middle-schoolers have trouble organizing all those damned pesky homework binders, and our teen-agers act like idiots. Why they truly don’t get long-term consequences of risky behavior, including having sex before they are ready and using and abusing alcohol, pot, and other drugs.

(For the record, I was a teen-aged idiot. Big time!)

If you want to learn more about the impact of alcohol and other drugs on your kids’ brains, you’re invited to attend a free talk Tuesday evening by drug educator Ralph Cantor at Stanley Intermediate School in Lafayette.

How Drugs Hijack the Teenage Brain: Do you really know how marijuana and alcohol interfere with the learning that is supposed to take place during the teenage years?

That’s the title of the talk, which starts at 7 p.m., and here's how it is described:

Adolescence is the time when teens are supposed to be working on self identity, dealing with stress, boredom, emotional growth, intellectual development and learning to socialize with others. Drugs and alcohol not only impair decision-making abilities but also interrupt your child’s ability to master these evelopmental tasks. Join us at Stanley for an informative evening and Q & A with esteemed Drug Educator, Ralph Cantor and the Stanley Counseling Staff. The talk is sponsored by Stanley’s Parent Teacher Association.

Meanwhile, middle school is not too early to start talking to kids about alcohol, drugs, etc. We all knew that, right?

And, the “just say no” approach is so Nancy Reagan ‘80s.

This view comes from a host of articles I came across while searching around for research on drugs, alcohol, and child brain development--and on educating kids on the risks associated with early substance use and abuse.

Here's one. When 'Just Say No' Isn't Enough: Try Science, from Science Daily:

Teens are fascinated by their brains, the way they work, change, and even "freeze" sometimes. The American Association for the Advancement of Science recommends that parents, teachers and caregivers use that fascination to engage middle and high school students this holiday season in a discussion of why they shouldn't drink alcohol.

Scientists used to believe that human brains finished developing before adolescence. But according to The Science Inside Alcohol Project, an alcohol education effort of the AAAS that is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), new and ongoing brain research shows that important brain regions and their interconnections are still developing well into a person's twenties … Alcohol can damage or even kill neurons, perhaps altering development of those parts of the adolescent brain that are still forming.

Alcohol can cause kids to make bad decisions, develop a tolerance for alcohol and drink more, take risks, harm their memories.

Other articles for your perusal: Middle Schoolers And Alcohol: Tips For Parents , and Access To Alcohol Among Middle School Children (Hint: they get it from us! Duh! )

Meanwhile, there is a whole body of research on possible links between alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use and mental illness, particularly the use of cannabis and the onset of psychosis linked to schizophrenia. This research gets into the whole chicken-egg question. Does marijuana use cause schizophrenia? (IMHO, I strongly doubt it.) Or do kids at risk of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses use pot, alcohol, and other drugs to self-medicate, to quiet the anxiety, depression, mania, and voices associated with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses?

But then, does use of these substances provide what you might call an environmental trigger for genetically vulnerable kids? If a child, preteen, or teen, vulnerable to a mental illness, becomes a heavy pot user at an early age, will the drug trigger the psychosis that was lurking there, ready to emerge?

Fascinating stuff. Important stuff, especially for parents of children whose families have histories of addiction to alcohol and drugs and histories of mental illness.

Hmm, that’s probably about 90 percent of the population, right?

But if you're interested, here is another article on research into the substance abuse/mental illness link among children and teens:

Children's mental health, substance abuse association studied:

Research is underway at Rutgers University that seeks to examine links between children's mental health problems and alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drug use over time. It is very common for people who have schizophrenia to also suffer from addictions - and this new research is targeted at better understanding this problem.

Marijuana Paranoia: Our perplexing attitudes about pot and crime, but what about crime and that other socially acceptable mind-altering substance?

I’m sure some opponents of Walnut Creek allowing a medical marijuana dispensary in town are frothing at this local news: How a shooting erupted in Concord Sunday over an attempt by six suspects (er, idiots) to steal marijuana plants being legally grown in someone’s back yard.

Apparently, a man suffered a flesh wound in the leg, possibly at the hands of his own associates, after he or someone from his crew was caught in the backyard of a home where the residents had a legal right to grow marijuana for medical purposes. You can read more about the attempted pot plant theft, the attempted getaway, and the shooting at Claycord.com.

But certainly, the Reefer Madness fearmongers would say, such an incident shows that allowing a medical marijuana dispensary in Walnut Creek will attract similar robberies and other violent crime to our fair city.

And, absolutely, these fear mongers would assert, such an incident provides more evidence that marijuana is a dangerous, destructive, crime- and violence-ridden drug.

It would be silly of me to say that marijuana cultivation, sales, use, and abuse are victimless, crime-free vocations. There is this incident, and, off the top of my head, I can think of two recent homicides in the East Bay suburbs that possibly involved pot deals gone bad. They include the shooting death of 17-year-old Rylan Fuchs of Danville earlier this year and the December 2007 killing of Eric Martin, of Pittsburg, in Walnut Creek over a failed marijuana growing and distribution scheme.

But are there any other mind-altering substances, whose cultivation and/or manufacture, sales, use, and abuse attract crime, including robberies, assaults, and homicide?

Of course!Alcohol!

The stuff of beer, wine, and Grey Goose martinis.

Once again, I’ll repeat that alcohol—mostly in the form of red wine—is my drug of choice. I like it--perhaps too much. But that's a whole other story.

As for pot, I have not tried it since college. I didn't like it much then, and have no desire to use it at any time in the future. The smell? Ick.

And who wants to be around a bunch of stoners? If you're not stoned? Although, I have to say that being around a bunch of people blissed out on weed would be no worse than—and might even be preferable—to being around loud, annoying drunks. Among these drunks, I’m including a very obnoxiously vocal and tipsy silver-haired man in a polo shirt (a lawyer? Bank executive? Real estate entrepreneur?) who was toting a wine glass and making an ass of himself on North Main Street during last week’s Fall Wine Walk. This wine-tasting event, hosted by the Downtown Business Association, was, remember, a fundraiser to benefit local Walnut Creek schools.

Again, what about alcohol and it's connection to crime and destruction? No wait! Alcohol is legal, so it’s harmless, right? It doesn’t cause death, destruction, or crime, right?

Well, of course, we all know it does. We’re familiar with the fact that alcohol is involved in thousands of traffic fatalities every year across the United States. We also know that long-term alcohol abuse is associated with tragic health consequences, astronomical medical costs, and the breakdown of families and communities.

The U.S. government says about both alcohol and tobacco, which are both legal in this country, for recreational use, to people of a certain age: "Alcohol and tobacco cost society a great deal every year in terms of crime, lost productivity, tragedies, and deaths. ... As a result of legal settlements and vigorous public education efforts, many Americans are aware of the dangers of dependence and addiction associated with alcohol and tobacco use. Even so, alcohol and tobacco remain a significant part of the American health problem."

So, we might be aware that alcohol is a major health problem, but most of us probably don't think of it as a major crime problem as well. But it is, and like marijuana and other drugs, it contributes to our local, state, and national crime rates. Alcohol, notably, is a major factor in domestic violence.

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• About 3 million violent crimes occur each year in which victims perceive the offender to have been drinking at the time of the offense.


• Another Justice Department study found that that alcohol abuse was a factor in 40 percent of violent crimes committed in the United States.


• Among those victims who provided information about the offender's use of alcohol, about 30 percent of the victimizations involved an offender who had been drinking.


• Two-thirds of victims who suffered violence by an intimate (a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend) reported that alcohol had been a factor. Among spouse victims, three out of four incidents were reported to have involved an offender who had been drinking.

Let's return to alcohol’s contribution to annoying, life-style crimes in downtown Walnut Creek. As I mentioned in a prior story, the Walnut Creek police reported that 1515 Restaurant and Lounge attracted their attention seven times between late July and late August. Police had to come to arrest drunks, and patrons not cooperating with state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents. Police also had to hear from a father who was alarmed that his daughter got so tanked up on booze at 1515 and/or other downtown establishments that she couldn’t talk or walk, and had to be carried to her car.

1515 Restaurant operates legally, as do some nearly 100 other liquor-dispensing establishments in town. After crying about lost profits due to their 12:30 a.m. closing time, the owners of 1515, Jack and Tony Dudum, received permission from the City Council to stay open a half hour later. They needed this extra time so that they could sell more beer, wine, and cocktails--to earn more money. To stay in business. To turn a profit. That is, they were given permission to dispense more mind-altering substances legally, and for recreational purposes, with profit as a prime motive.

But pot? Well, some city leaders and members of the public have gotten huffy and expressed their grave concerns about C3 Collective—just one venue so far—dispensing pot in town. The owners of this pot club, which has been hit with a lawsuit to shut down, claim they are dispending pot, not for recreational purposes or for profit, but to benefit people with serious medical conditions.

C3 owners may or may not be telling the truth. I will assume they are, until someone proves otherwise. Meanwhile, we have plenty of other venues in downtown that are dispensing the mind-altering substance of alcohol—for recreational purposes and, most definitely, for a profit. I could fill a page with their names, but here are just a few. Besides the above-mentioned 1515, which by the way allegedly caters to an “mature, upscale crowd,” there are the upscale restaurants Prima, Va de Vi, Lark Creek Walnut Creek, and the Walnut Creek Yacht Club. There are also markets and drug stores like Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s (Two Buck Chuck!), Safeway, CVS Pharmacy, and 7-Eleven.

I'm sure in the history of any of these establishments--mostly likely the grocery and convenience stores--someone has come in and tried to steal a bottle or two of something. From my police reporting days, this was a fairly regular occurance at grocery and convenience stores: thefts of booze that amounted to a misdemeanor shoplifting. It might involve someone who is dependant on alcohol, shoplifting a bottle, or kids eager to get their hands on a six-pack or a bottle of hard liquor.

How is this kind of theft so much different from what those idiots in Concord were trying to do, when they were attempting to steal a bit of weed from that legally grown backyard crop?

Marijuana and alcohol: Both mind-altering substances. Both legal, with varying restrictions. Both promise to pleasure the senses, including smell and taste. Both offer the promise of relaxation, escape, and an altered mental state. And, both, when abused in terms of sales, distribution or use, become the source of devastating consequnces.

But why is one substance culturally embraced, celebrated as a symbol of the California good life, and used to entice people into donating money to help local school kids? And why is the other substance treated with contempt and mostly outlawed, when there is no evidence, I can find so far, that it causes society any more harm than the other? I'm trying to figure that one out.