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From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:
Disastrous social experiments in Finland, England and New Zealand are sobering reminders that policies about price and availability of alcohol really do matter, writes David Rosenbloom, director of Join Together.
Join Together reports on the deadly results of Finland's decision to slash alcohol taxes: after two years, alcohol related illness and accidents have replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death among men aged 18 to 65.
New Zealand lowered its legal drinking age to 18 a few years ago and watched alcohol-related car crashes and deaths among teenagers increase sharply, reversing years of steady decline.
When the United States raised the minimum drinking age to 21 between 1981 and 1984, there was an immediate drop in deaths from alcohol related accidents in young people; it has stayed near this lower level for 20 years, saving about 1,000 lives a year.
I urge all our readers to send Join Together reports about the mistakes in Finland, England and New Zealand to their state and local leaders, reminding them that they have the power to kill or save young people when they adopt new alcohol policies.
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Posted on January 13, 2007 10:08 PM
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