Half of all college students surveyed who drank alcohol were binge drinkers. The rate of drinking and binge drinking among high school and grade school students should serve as a wake-up call for parents, legislators and the public because a major determinant of college binge drinking is students who use alcohol in high school or at younger ages. The federal and state governments spend billions of dollars each year in this country to address the problem of illicit drug use by young people. As I have testified to, the extent of the underage drinking problem is evident and the problems associated with underage alcohol consumption are well documented despite being swept under the social rug. One of the questions that is the focus of this committee hearing is why we have this problem if it is illegal to sell alcohol to youth and illegal for them to purchase it.
Alcohol is easy to get.
Most of the kids in my school and in my community know where they can get alcohol, if they want it. Almost two-thirds or 6.9 million junior and high school students, who consumed alcohol in 1991, purchased their own directly. Studies confirm that anywhere from 30 percent to 70 percent of retail outlets illegally sell alcohol to minors. We are now confronted with a new source for youth access to alcohol and that is Internet and other direct access venues. I mentioned earlier that the 21 minimum drinking age law has been the single most effective measure in reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths in the 16 to 20 year old age groups.