Underage Drinking Costs Society More than Illicit Drugs, Study Says
From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:
A new study estimates that underage drinking costs the U.S. $62 billion a year and results in 3,200 deaths and 2.6 million other "harmful events," PNN Online reported June 30.
The study conducted by the Pacific Institute on Research and Education (PIRE) says that while public and government attention is focused primarily on youth use of illicit drugs, underage drinking is by far the greater problem, killing four times as many youths as all illicit drugs combined.
"The problems caused by underage drinking are a devastating tidal wave of alcohol harm," said lead researcher Ted Miller, Ph.D. "Alcohol-related traffic crashes, violence, teen pregnancies, STDs, burns, drownings, alcohol poisoning, property damage and other risks take a human and economic toll that's much greater than illegal drugs."
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