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'Project Sticker Shock' coming to Michigan store shelves

Amy Johnson

"Project Sticker Shock" is hitting Michigan store shelves in an effort to keep adults from buying alcohol for teens. Students in Pinckney are placing warning stickers on alcoholic beverages in stores to remind adults that supplying alcohol to minors is a crime.

According to Pinckney Coalition Coordinator Amy Johnston, who has worked to put on the event for the past three years, one of the keys to the program's success is putting the kids in control.

"It's important to give them the sense of empowerment and to let them know that they can create change by their actions," she said.

Project Sticker Shock is a nationwide program in which many Michigan schools and community groups take part, often around Homecoming and Prom seasons.

Johnston said underage drinking isn't just a teen problem; it's a community problem that requires community solutions. She said local retailers have welcomed the young people into their stores, and have become partners in the process.

"To have them supportive of the youth coming into their stores and stickering all their alcohol and kind of defacing those products, it's great to see."

Providing alcohol to minors carries potential fines of up to $2500 and/or up to 90 days in jail in Michigan.