The interests of children are also front and center in the debate that has just erupted over advertising of hard liquor. Last week, they repealed their code. Several broadcasters have succumbed to temptation and are airing hard liquor advertisements. This has triggered a vigorous debate over the appropriateness of such ads. Alarms have been sounded about the potential harm to children from ads designed to stimulate the consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol abuse is a serious problem.
It is a special problem for teenagers, who face peer pressure and do not recognize how alcohol impairs their driving ability. Many adults believe that we should not increase the exposure of children and teens to a culture of drinking. These are all legitimate concerns. The distilled spirits industry responds that beer and wine can be as harmful as hard liquor, that beer and wine are free to advertise on broadcast media, and that forbidding the advertising of legal beverages would raise serious First Amendment concerns. These points, too, must be considered.