USVI Attorney General Rhea Launches New PSA for Alcohol Responsibility Month

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — As the territory enters Alcohol Responsibility Month this April, Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea is taking a proactive stance on adolescent health. Rhea has partnered with the national nonprofit Responsibility.org to release a new public service announcement (PSA) designed to spark critical conversations between parents and children.

The initiative focuses on the vital role of open communication in preventing underage drinking and supporting youth mental health.

“The video encourages families to engage in ongoing, meaningful conversations about alcohol and its risks,” the Department of Justice stated in a release late Thursday.

The campaign is part of a broader, decades-long effort by Responsibility.org—a nonprofit funded by leading U.S. distillers—to eliminate drunk driving and underage alcohol use. For over twenty years, the organization has collaborated with attorneys general nationwide to reach millions via digital and social platforms.

This local push builds on AG Rhea’s previous advocacy work, including his focus on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month this past December. Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit Responsibility.org to access evidence-based tools and programs aimed at helping youth make informed, responsible decisions

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.