| 2.
More youths consume alcoholic
beverages than use tobacco products
or illegal drugs. 3. By the
end of the eighth grade, 45.6
percent of children have engaged
in alcohol use, and by the end
of high school, 76.6 percent
have done so.
4. Most parents don't know
the serious consequence of youth
drinking. Research confirms
that those who start to drink
before age 14 are, as adults,
four times more likely to become
alcohol dependent; seven times
more likely to be in a motor
vehicle crash because of drinking;
and more likely to suffer mental
and physical damage from alcohol
abuse.
5. Underage drinking cannot
be successfully addressed by
focusing on youth alone. Ultimately,
adults are responsible for young
people obtaining alcohol by
selling, providing, or otherwise
making it available to them.
Parents are the most important
channel of influence on their
children's underage drinking.
6. The annual societal cost
of underage drinking is estimated
at $53 to $58 billion.
7. The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration
reports that 11 percent of the
total alcohol consumption in
the United States each year
is by underage youth.
8. For every one television
ad discouraging underage alcohol
use, there were 609 product
ads. In 2002, the Center on
Alcohol Marketing and Youth
stated that the alcoholic beverage
industry spent $990.2 million
on television for product advertising
and $10 million to promote responsible
use of alcohol.
9. College and university presidents
have cited alcohol abuse as
the number one health problem
on college and university campuses.
10. According to the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, two of five college
students are binge drinkers;
1,400 college students die each
year from alcohol-related injuries,
a majority of which involve
motor vehicle crashes; more
than 70,000 students are victims
of alcohol-related sexual assault;
and 500,000 students are injured
under the influence of alcohol
each year.
11. According to the Government
Accountability Office (`GAO'),
the Federal Government currently
spends $1.8 billion annually
to combat youth drug use and
$71 million to prevent underage
alcohol use
12. FYI - There are at least
three major annual, government-funded
national surveys in the United
States with underage drinking
data: the National Household
Survey on Drug Use and Health,
Monitoring the Future, and the
Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Analyses of recent years' data
show similar results such as
those mentioned above.
AMONG THE KEY PROVISIONS OF
THE ACT:
1. Creation of a federal interagency
coordinating committee on underage
drinking prevention
2. National media campaign aimed
at educating adults
3. Funding for additional research
on underage drinking
4. Increased resources for community
coalitions and states to enhance
underage drinking prevention
efforts
5. Grants to prevent binge drinking
among college students
HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
To ensure the success of the
STOP Act, contact your Representatives
and Senators by visitng http://capwiz.com/cadca/home/.
Using CADCA’s online system,
you can contact your members
of Congress regarding the STOP
Act with just one click.
To read the bill in its entirety,
go to http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr4888.html
or contact Jessica Hembre, Public
Policy Associate at CADCA --
jhembree@cadca.org. |
