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Council recognizes January 2025 as Dry January USA month and cites Meharry Medical College leadership
Summary
Resolution RS2024‑954 was read to declare January 2025 as Dry January USA month and Jan. 7, 2025 as Dry January USA day, recognizing Meharry Medical College’s role as home of Dry January USA since 2022; the transcript records the reading and remarks by a Meharry representative but does not show a formal vote.
The Metropolitan Council read Resolution RS2024‑954 declaring January 2025 as Dry January USA month and Jan. 7, 2025 as Dry January USA day, and recognized Meharry Medical College as the national lead for Dry January USA.
The resolution recites that Dry January originated with Alcohol Change UK in 2013 and, according to the text read to the record, has grown "from 4,000 participants to 1,000,000 worldwide." The resolution credits Meharry Medical College with stewardship of Dry January USA since 2022 and highlights the campaign’s "yellow" branding and the free Try Dry app as tools to support participants.
The text of the resolution includes public-health findings cited in the reading: that alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization and several statistics about alcohol-related harms cited in the resolution (including a 98% increase in alcohol‑related deaths in Tennessee between 2012 and 2022, an estimated "over 70,000" alcohol‑related ER visits annually in Tennessee, and that alcohol contributes to an estimated 28% of traffic-related deaths nationally). These figures were read as part of the resolution text; the transcript does not record sourcing beyond the resolution language itself.
Council Member Bradford introduced the item. A Meharry Medical College representative thanked the council, reported local and other cities lighting up for Dry January USA week, and recommended the Try Dry app for residents participating in the initiative.
The resolution also urges partnership with Meharry to expand culturally inclusive education and public-health initiatives and encourages residents and organizations to "go yellow, be yellow, support yellow, and do something yellow" to raise awareness of alcohol-related harm. The transcript records the reading and remarks but does not show a roll-call vote or adoption in the provided excerpt.
