DRUG WAR ISN'T ON TARGET

Alcohol Lobby Derails Any Efforts To Dissuade Teens

In His War Against Drugs, General Barry McCaffrey is outgunned by the
political influence of special interest money that diverts attention
from the gateway to teen drug problems, the drug most used and abused
by adolescents -- alcohol. McCaffrey has repeatedly gone on record
saying that alcohol is the primary drug abused in this country and he
has lamented his inability to make alcohol the centerpiece of his
current $195 million anti-drug media campaign.

Coming to his rescue, U.S. Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard, D--
Calif., Frank Wolf, R-Va., have authored an amendment to the Treasury,
Postal Service and Government Appropriations bill that would add
alcohol to the media campaign. McCaffrey's lament apparently wasn't
sincere. When the Roybal-Allard Wolf amendment was announced, the drug
czar and the White House came out in opposition to alcohol being
included in the campaign to unsell drugs to America's youth. The
reason: the powerful alcohol and advertising lobbies.

The two major opponents of the Roybal- Allard/Wolf amendment are the
politically influential and well-connected National Beer Wholesalers
Association and the San Francisco-based Wine Institute.

Another opponent is the Partnership for a Drug Free America, a
nonprofit organization comprised primarily of advertising
professionals. Many of them work for the very ad firms that produce
the alcohol advertising that the drug czar's media campaign would
counterbalance, if it included alcohol counter-ads.

The partnership, which was founded on alcohol, tobacco and
pharmaceutical money, provides volunteers to produce the current ads
on illegal drug use by teens. It claims that it would not be
productive to produce a campaign that includes alcohol because alcohol
is ``deeply ingrained in our culture'' and ``alcohol use is widely
glamorized in movies, television and music.'' And, the alcohol
industry spends as much as $3 billion a year putting positive alcohol
messages in front of kids' faces. The partnership's position mirrors
that of beer companies who hypocritically claim their ads have no
effect on underage drinking. Its position conveniently ignores how
effectively tobacco counter-ads have worked using hard-hitting
messages that expose the tobacco industry and debunk its advertising
images.

It's predictable that the National Beer Wholesalers Association would
oppose public health efforts to counteract youth-oriented beer ads
that glorify alcohol. Wine ads on the other hand are, for the most
part, responsible and not inviting to children. The Wine Institute's
opposition is strange and unnecessary.

Alcohol is a leading cause of death among young people. Thirty percent
of twelfth graders report hazardous drinking, and youth who start
drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to become ad dicted
than those who begin at 21. Every day on average, 11,318 kids try
alcohol for the first time, compared with 6,488 for marijuana; 2,786
for cocaine; and 386 for heroin.

Our children will be the losers if corporate lobbies continue to
undermine efforts to protect their health and safety. Lawmakers should
just say no to special interests and make the well-being of the next
generation their top priority.

The first step should be to pass legislation that allows the war on
teen drug use to combat its biggest enemy -- alcohol.

Diana Conti is executive director of The Marin Institute for the
Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in San Rafael.