In a liquor law sting operation over the weekend, nearly one-third of all Helena businesses targeted failed. Eleven of the 34 businesses tested sold alcohol to a minor who was working with police officers.

That's disconcerting.

One has to wonder how many reminders this community needs about the problems of excessive teen drinking right here in Helena and Lewis and Clark County.

Here's a clue:

Montana teens report the highest binge drinking rate in the nation, where "binge drinking" is defined as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting.

Need more?

When surveyed, 40 percent of high school seniors in Lewis and Clark County reported binge drinking in the previous two weeks. Kids in this county report the average age when they first sip alcohol is 12.7 years old.

Shall we go on?

A Butte teenager is on a six-year deferred sentence of probation and parole and a Helena 15-year-old girl is dead from a car crash back in April 2008 that involved drinking alcohol.

Teen alcohol consumption is a

problem here.

But it's not inevitable, and working cooperatively, this can be a community that empowers our children to turn the other cheek, to live healthy and successful lives that don't include underage drinking.

This can't happen, however, if our businesses sell alcohol to minors.

Those businesses that failed the sting operation need to step up their employee awareness and enforcement efforts. Carding individuals who purchase alcohol is easy, and checkout clerks should ask for identification every single time, no excuses.

The server or clerk actually receives the misdemeanor citation, which in Helena City Court for a first-time offense is generally a $540 fine with $300 suspended, a six-month suspended jail sentence and a six-month deferred sentence, along with mandatory responsible-server training.

Is this enough? Some commentors in our online forums don't think so.

"If every business that failed to ID and sold alcohol to a minor was forced to close their business for 24 hours, there would be no need for random checks. No business would risk the loss of revenue," wrote JoeCitizen.

"I completely agree with closing the businesses down for 24 hours -- and don't pay the employees. Maybe it will start to sink in. This isn't a new thing -- they've done it since I was in high school. Why do these businesses keep selling to minors? Maybe they should look at how Town Pump trains their employees and follow suit. As far as I remember it has been quite awhile since they failed this test," wrote my2cents.

According to Police Chief Troy McGee, this was probably "our least favorable" sting in recent memory.

The city police force, as well as the county sheriff's office, conduct these exercises two to three times per year each, focusing on any business that carries a liquor license.

"I think they're effective," McGee said. "I think the businesses get the point they need to be monitoring IDs."

The problem doesn't rest squarely on the shoulders of the businesses that sell alcohol to minors, either.

Parents need to wake up to the reality that kids drink alcohol, and that peer pressure is tougher to break than the addiction of any drink.

Parents should openly communicate with their children about the dangerous effects of alcohol use, and teach them it's not OK to drink as a minor. Parents should also lead -- by example -- to show their children that adults can and do drink responsibly, setting the stage for when their own children turn 21. As spring and summer community events heat up, there will be plenty of opportunities to show your children you don't necessarily have to drink alcohol to have a good time, but if you do, that you do it responsibly.

If nothing else, these 11 businesses failing the compliance tests reminds us that in the typical seasons where underage drinking spikes, alcohol is obviously readily available for youths in our community.

That problem needs to be fixed, immediately.