SAY 'NO' TO UNDERAGE DRINKING

States uniformly ban the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors because
they are not considered mature enough to drink responsibly and safely.

That bit of wisdom seems to have been lost on Congress, which by
sleight of hand banned the federal government from mentioning alcohol
in a $195 million anti-drug media blitz aimed at kids.

A two-word phrase deep in the legislation establishing the White
House's Office of National Drug Control Policy -- the so-called "drug
czar" -- limits its activities to "controlled substances." Liquor is
not one, and so the federal government can't spend a nickel to warn
kids about alcohol's potential dangers.

A bill introduced this month by U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard,
D-Calif., would correct that and allow the drug czar to include
alcohol warnings in anti-drug messages to children. It's a sensible
amendment, reflecting national concerns about underage drinking, and
it ought to be approved.

Leading the crusade against the Roybal-Allard bill is the National
Beer Wholesalers' Association, whose tiresome refrain is that liquor
is a legal product and the federal government has no business
criticizing it in any forum.

Nonsense. Alcohol sales to minors are not legal, and the dangers of
alcohol abuse by adolescents are universally recognized. "It's the
biggest drug abuse problem for adolescents, and it's linked to the use
of other, illegal drugs," said drug czar Barry McCaffrey at a Feb. 8
news conference.

Among other research, a 1998 University of Michigan study reported
that 74 percent of high school seniors had already tried alcohol --
about twice as many as had smoked marijuana -- and nearly a third
admitted getting drunk during the previous month.

Still, a spokesman for the drug czar's office argues that adding " ...
and alcohol" to the federal ad campaign for kids would muddle its
anti-drug message.

Honesty has to be the trademark of a campaign against substance abuse,
particularly one aimed at kids. Playing phony games with the
definition of "dangerous substance" undermines the credibility of the
effort and also its effectiveness.