06 Jun Local Thoughts on Underage Drinking

We remember the tragic death of 17 year old teen Adan De La Cruz in 2024 who accidentally fell from a rooftop at a party hosted by some of his friends and peers at Nikki Rowe High School. The alcohol related fall deeply impacted the community and three people were arrested in connection to the incident.

Since then, the McAllen area has experienced a rise in reports relating to underage drinking events. In April, Miguel Herrera from the McAllen area was charged with providing alcohol to minors. A similar incident transpired in May at a prom afterparty and resulted in John and Tina McIntyre receiving charges.

Minors aren’t drinking any less so but the increased awareness around underage drinking since the De La Cruz incident have made people more prone to calling the police when it does occur. While he can’t show an increase in charges related to underage drinking, in a quote to the McAllen Monitor, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez did confirm it seems like “more people are becoming concerned.”

With it being difficult to fully prevent instances of underage drinking from happening, all officials like Rodriguez can do is make sure damage is kept to a minimum when it occurs. It’s important young adults are aware of the dangers of underage drinking and binge drinking. Currently, substance abuse education is mandated by the Texas Education Agency and is usually incorporated into high school health classes, but ultimately it is on teens to act and call for help when they notice something is wrong.

This is why teens should never be afraid to call the authorities if they see something they think looks off. While local authorities claim that cases related to teens charged with underage drinking are treated more leniently, the ramifications of a booking record can be all too real for young adults on the precipice of applying to colleges and real-world internships.

We must ensure amnesty for teens so that the first thought that comes to their head when a peer or friend is suffering from alcohol poisoning is to call emergency services and try and “sober them up” or worse, hide the incident.