MONTEGO BAY, St James – The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) has condemned a fundraiser promoting the use of alcohol, planned for this Friday by the St James Parish AIDS Committee’s youth arm.

“It’s crazy! You can’t use an event that promotes the use of liquor in the anti-HIV/AIDS effort. it’s a very strong contradiction because there is a very big link between the use of liquor and the contraction of HIV/AIDS,” said Michael Tucker, the NCDA’s executive director.

Entitled “Kurfew”, the inaugural fundraiser of the group, which will see part of the proceeds going to the St James Parish AIDS Committee, promises patrons free “electric shots” and one free drink of Red Bull for every two purchases of Guinness Stout.

Violet Stevenson, the regional manager of the NCDA, yesterday appealed to the patrons to remember that it was illegal for teenagers under the age of 18 to consume alcohol and unwise to indulge in the Red Bull drink as it contained a high percentage of caffeine.

“Alcohol causes people to lose control and when that happens they tend to indulge in risky behaviour and get themselves into trouble. Caffeine is a stimulant that quickens the heart beat and affects the central nervous system in a negative manner.

We would advise youngsters to stay away from it because once they start to look outside of themselves for help in order to stay awake they become vulnerable to the risk of becoming dependent on these substances and this can lead to addiction, which can ultimately lead to a stroke,” she said.

However, despite the warning and criticism, the youngsters hope the event would become one of the biggest annual teen events on the entertainment calendar in western Jamaica.

“It’s going to be the first major party after exams and we expect students from Jamaica and North America to come out in their numbers and take this as an opportunity to unwind,” said Ashley Foster, a member of the organising committee.

Foster, who along with five other youngsters – Sean-Pierre Webster, Noelle Webster, Casmar James, Dwayne Parkinson and James Carter – have been planning the fundraiser for months, said they want to raise $100,000 from the event to assist chair of the St James Parish Committee, Donnamarie Ross-Hamilton in her efforts to help people living with AIDS.

Ross-Hamilton, who has endorsed the event, told the Observer yesterday that she was confident that the event planned for the Upstream Bar and Grill in the community of PortoBello, would be a safe and that it would be better to support the youngsters’ efforts instead of criticising them.

“We have five boxes of condoms – with 144 each – that we will be distributing at the concert; we’ll also be distributing posters which inform individuals about the dangers associated with risky behaviour..it’s not that we are telling anyone to go and have sex, but we can’t pretend that they won’t drink because we tell them not to drink. I think we have to allow them to choose. I don’t think there’s going to be that much liquor there anyway because I know that they are short of money,” she said.

In the meantime, Sean-Pierre told the Observer that although his committee was in a “bit of a liquor jam” as one of the expected sources of sponsorship had dropped out, he expected that the issue would be resolved in time for the concert.

Members of the St James Parish AIDS Committee’s youth arm, who are planning a concert to raise $100 million to held persons living with AIDS in St James.