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THE BEER INDUSTRY was quick to denounce a recent report by the Institute of Medicine on underage drinking. This is hardly surprising, as the report recommended new taxes as part of a broad campaign to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by American youth. The predictable controversy over many of the specific recommendations should not blunt the impact of the report, an eye-opening document that raises the question of how this problem has gone largely unaddressed for so long. Americans care if their children drink and drive, but the report makes a persuasive case that underage drinking is a big public policy problem even before cars come into the picture.
Consider the following data: In 1996, underage drinking caused 3,500 deaths, 2 million injuries, 1,200 babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome and 57,000 people having to be treated for alcoholism. The report estimates the "social cost" associated with underage drinking that year to be just under $53 billion. If that sounds......

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Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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