Over to Elise to jump in with some commentary about alcohol.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone.

I just want to say a quick thank you to Marty for connecting us with the commission and allowing us the opportunity to speak with you today.

I think some of these trends are going to be maybe already familiar with you.

Some of them might be a little bit new.

I do have a lot of information in this PowerPoint.

I'm not going to touch on every single piece because I know we're going to be kind of quick today.

But just wanted to you to have all of the information.

So if there's more things in the notes and things that you can take a look at, and then obviously we're here to answer any questions that you have too.

So the first thing that we are seeing a lot, especially among youth, and again, this is one that you might already have seen, but alcohol alcohol pops.

So that is an AlcoPop is that flavored alcoholic beverage that really looks and smells kind of like a juice or a soda.

So what they are is obviously they're very eye-catching, they can look like energy drinks.

Um that blurs a little bit of the lines between their non-alcoholic drinks and of the same brand.

So we've seen across the board things, obviously, like the typical ones, truly, oh, I'm so sorry, truly, and and those kind of ones.

We've also seen Sunny D, different brands that are coming up and kind of creating their own alcoholic version of, and the products look very similar.

Um I apologize, I don't have a picture on here, but um it's easy to find.

Um they're also they're sweet flavored alcoholic drinks, like I mentioned.

They can have soda or candy-like flavors.

Um, why they're really risky and why we really primarily focus on our they're risky to our youth in Naperville, um, is the high sugar content.

So that really masks the taste of alcohol, so it's easy to be like a high consumption and and consuming more.

Um, obviously, those a lot of them have a higher alcohol content, so that's like a little bit, you know, that's a riskier situation for our youth as well.

Um, and the packaging, they're often often misleading.

So we can see that sometimes for our teens, they think they're more harmless than their non-alcoholic counterparts.

Again, if you look at the products side by side, they look very similar.

Um, so just wanted to call attention to that one.

Um, just a little bit more on alcohol pops, sorry again.

Um you know, with these, they have that higher content, so um, you have a higher risk of the rapid intoxication, so obviously the higher risk of alcohol poisoning.

So that's why it's you know very um problematic for our youth.

Um, obviously, of course, I'm sure you guys see a different piece of this, but the impaired um judgment, so driving, car accidents, unsafe, just risky behavior in general, um, and then obviously a lot of long-term effects, addiction, liver damage, mental health impacts, um, and then obviously for our younger drinkers, we're seeing them drink um kind of more.

So we lead to more like of the binge drinking because they're a little bit sweeter, easier to consume.

Um, and then some of their marketing tactics that they use, some I've already mentioned, but the sort of bright colors, fun fonts, um, again, like kind of tasting more like the regular, like a juice or a soda.

Um, another big thing that we're seeing is the kind of celebrity or social media promotion online.

Um so this one, and I'm gonna touch on this in a in a second, but um there's some you know, can kind of concerning social media hashtags that we've seen that are available that are that our youth are seeing as well.

Um often the placement is near, um, can be near soft drinks, which we know that's illegal, um, but enforcement is really key on that front, so making sure that we're they're in the designated areas, the alcohol areas, that's like the most important.

I think that's where you guys can um can step in there.

Um, the appeals to the youth, obviously there it's illegal for under 21, but that there's some a lot of appealing with the marketing and different things for our youth.

Um, and the two hashtags I wanted to mention that I learned about recently in a presentation is the sipping Saturday and Borg Challenge, it's B-O-R-G challenge.

So this is cons it's it's called black outrage gallon.

Um, and what they're doing is consuming a gallon of alcohol and they put electrolytes in it because our youth are very interested in keeping it healthy, so they think it's like a healthy alternative.

But those are just two that I wanted to bring up and bring to your attention.

And then the last piece on more generally speaking on alcohol placement in stores.

Um again, we're seeing some just blurred lines between alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages.

We have seen in the past, I believe there is a lot in place now that they can't be on end camps, end caps, excuse me, but that is something that we've seen in the past of just like a separate display for some of these items.

Um obviously we know that they do party pack themes, so they have like a summer theme for the summer, which can be more appealing to our youth as well.

Um, also at convenience stores and gas station, there's it's a grab and go style, so that's another marketing technique that you know we can focus on.

Um also the large single can options and often have cheaper prices, or sometimes a buy one, get one free, also appealing to our youth to kind of as like a grab or grab and go.

Um and the marketing tactics I already mentioned, but again, the flavoring fairy blast, tropical punch, watermelon wave, we know exactly who those are targeting.

Um, and then the pop culture tie-ins.

We're seeing a lot of um at sports events and influencers that are promoting these um alcohol pops as well online.

And then I mentioned the seasonal kind of additions, and then um the social media marketing, there's a lot of marketing on Snapchat specifically.

That's where um a lot of our youth are targeted for marketing and commercials and things like that.

Um so that's another area of concern.

Commissioner Cherico, do you have a question?

I do.

Thank you, Mayor.

Yeah, so you you may have answered it, but let me just make for clarification.

So this is all being produced legally through the system, going through distribution and then being sold in our stores.

Uh it's just that it's marketed towards kids.

Exactly, exactly.