STATE NEEDS TO TAKE ALCOHOL PROBLEMS MORE SERIOUSLY

Dear Editor: Recent events again reveal the lack of courage public
officials have when it comes to consistency in the area of alcohol and
other drugs. The laws and political leadership continue to treat alcohol as
if it were almost harmless relative to substances with similar effects.

On the one hand, we have the state Legislature looking to increase the jail
time for possession of Ecstasy on the argument that it will better the
user's chances of getting treatment. It will more likely scare Ecstasy
users from seeking medical help when needed.

On the other hand, when Attorney General Lautenschlager is caught driving
drunk she is lauded for her gracious apology and declines to resign, even
though her high-profile example is more of a threat to public health and
safety than 10 Ecstasy users.

Let's be clear. Alcohol is a drug. People drink it to get high -- just like
pot smokers, heroin shooters or crack users. And while this may come as a
shock to some, selecting alcohol as your drug of choice does not give you
some kind of moral high ground.

Alcohol is a drug with serious potential for misuse, abuse and dependence.
Dangerous misuse includes occasional binge drinking and driving while under
the influence. Both are common practices even among those claiming to be
responsible citizens.

Alcohol is the single drug resulting in the most extensive public safety
and health problems for the Wisconsin population. Not marijuana. Not
cocaine. Not heroin. Not Ecstasy. If you doubt this fact, go talk to ER
nurses and physicians in any Wisconsin hospital.

Yet, when it comes to alcohol misuse -- especially by those with higher
status -- our response falls somewhere between bemusement and tolerance.
This sends the most powerful message imaginable to young people about the
legitimacy of drug misuse.

David Brown, research fellow, UW-Madison Dept. of Family Medicine