Senator, liquor stores team up

Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, recently partnered with Big Red Liquors of Bloomington to help raise awareness of Indiana’s Lifeline Law.

Since the first home football game of the season, Aug. 29, all 13 Big Red Liquors in Bloomington have placed flyers in customer’s bags about the Lifeline Law, and informational posters hang from walls in their stores.

The Lifeline Law provides immunity for crimes of public intoxication, minor possession, minor consumption and minor transportation of alcohol to people who reveal themselves to law enforcement while seeking medical assistance for a person suffering from an alcohol-related emergency.

Merritt said Big Red came to him with concern about where the alcohol goes once it leaves their stores.

Merritt said officials at Big Red said they felt like they have a connection with the community and wanted to be partners on raising awareness for the Lifeline Law.

The Lifeline Law is made to encourage people call for help in alcohol-related emergencies when it is needed.However, the law does not provide legal protection to the individual in need of medical attention.

“I am so pleased Big Red Liquors is willing to help in this important cause,” Merritt said in a press release. “Obviously they are concerned about the community they invest in, and where the legally purchased alcohol goes once it leaves their stores. I’m confident this new push will have a positive impact and increase awareness of the Lifeline Law on campus.”

“Big Red has a really unique platform to speak directly to the audience that needs to know about the Lifeline Law and we felt like as a responsible business that it was the right thing to do,” Matt Colglazier, Big Red media and promotions director, said.

Colglazier said as Big Red started this Lifeline awareness process they discovered people did not really know about it, and if they had heard of it, they were not sure about the details.

Alcohol is against the law for minors and they should not be consuming it, Merritt said, however he acknowledged the fact that people do make mistakes and binge drink.

“Keep calm, call 911 and save a life," Merritt said.

In order to raise awareness all over the state of Indiana, Merritt has traveled to 15 high
schools and numerous college campuses within the past year to talk about Indiana’s Lifeline Law.

Merritt said the evidence that the law has been successful is in the stories he hears.

“I do believe it’s working. That’s why I continue to get up every morning, to figure out how to spread the word,” Merritt said.