Report Urges Tax Hike, Other Steps to Reduce Teen DrinkingSeptember 10, 2003
Research Summary
A report issued by the Institute of Medicine urges federal and state governments, parents, and the alcohol industry to take major steps to stop teen drinking, the Associated Press reported Sept. 9.Among the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine panel are higher federal and state taxes on alcoholic beverages, stricter state drinking laws, improved state identification cards, and better policies for detecting and stopping underage drinking parties.
In addition, Richard J. Bonnie, a professor at the University of Virginia and chairman of the committee that prepared the analysis, said that parents and other adults should avoid behavior that would encourage underage drinking.
He said a "comprehensive program involving all sectors of society and a common acceptance of responsibility" is needed.
According to the report, underage drinking costs Americans $53 billion a year in losses from crime, traffic crashes, and academic failure.
The Institute of Medicine is a health-policy advisory center affiliated with the National Academies of Science, an independent organization that provides advice to the government under charter by the U.S. Congress.
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