Hoovler warns Orange County parents on underage drinking, drug risks

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler used prom season, graduations and the start of summer parties to put parents and hosts on notice: if alcohol or drugs are on the property, the celebration can turn into a criminal case. Under the county’s Social Host Law, anyone 18 or older who knowingly allows underage drinking, or fails to stop it once discovered, can be charged at a private home, a municipal park or a firehouse.

The county says a first Social Host offense carries a $500 fine, alcohol-awareness programming or community service, and a second offense can bring an unclassified misdemeanor, up to a $1,000 fine and as much as a year in jail. Hoovler also pointed to New York Penal Law Section 260.20, which makes it a crime for anyone 18 or older to provide alcohol to someone under 21. Penal Law Article 222 bars adults 21 and older from providing marijuana to minors, and the state Cannabis Law makes it unlawful for anyone under 21 to possess marijuana. County officials have also warned that parents often miss the newer risks: local school districts have reported increased calls for medical attention involving THC, CBD oils, K2 and other substances used through e-cigarettes.

The warning carried added weight because Orange County has already used the law in real cases. In October 2020, prosecutors charged Alissa Pirraglia and Giovanno Pirraglia after a Goshen house party where alcohol was reportedly consumed by up to 40 minors. One minor needed medical treatment after drinking too much, and the case led to charges including Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Criminal Nuisance in the Second Degree and a Social Host Law violation. The county has also said the law grew out of a fatal party where underage drinking was allowed and a guest was stabbed to death.

Orange County has paired enforcement with prevention campaigns. Connect 2 Disconnect, launched in March 2017, was designed to help parents steer children away from prescription drugs and heroin, while the county’s underage-drinking effort uses the message You Permit It. You Promote It. and hashtags including #SocialHostLawOCNY, #BeAParentNotAPeer and #YouPermitYouPromote. Hoovler urged families to plan ahead, talk openly about substances and call for emergency help immediately if someone has a life-threatening reaction. The office also pointed to New York’s Good Samaritan law, which can protect people who seek help in an overdose or other emergency from certain possession charges tied to that call.