For the young, alcohol is the drug of choice. The hype regarding
the recent Monitoring the Future Study underscores the
misinformation that permeates the war on drugs. Once again
marijuana is singled out as the the most widely used drug among
adolescents. But the study indicates that alcohol is the primary
drug of abuse among young people, a fact that did not make the
headlines.

The study indicated that 31 percent of high school seniors, 25
percent of sophomores and 15 percent of eighth-graders admitted
to binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks in a
row, on one occasion or more in the previous two weeks. Among
12th-graders, past-year use of alcohol increased from 72.5
percent in 1996 to 74.8 percent in 1997.

There were about 9 million current alcohol (including beer, wine,
and distilled spirits) drinkers under age 21 in 1996. Of these,
4.4 million were binge drinkers, including 1.9 million heavy
drinkers. Yet government officials never talk about waging war
on Bud.

Walter Wouk, President
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Schoharie, NY