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Show Do Brewers More and more young people are drinking legally in the United States today. Does the giant American liquor industry hae a special responsibility to warn them of possible dangers ahead? This is the third article of a report. five-par- Have An . corporate policy to educate new drinkers about possible NEW YORK, N.Y. Millions of young Americans now are legal drinkers, since laws have been passed lowering the age of majority ir. many ' states. What re- sponsibility if any does, the Ameri- can liquor industry have .toward them? The ques tion comes from a range of critics of the industry ex- perts, authorities on the treatment of alcoholism, and federal and state officials. They focus, on two main issues: highway safety (since so many young people drive) and alcoholism itself. On the highway, the main concern is beer; studies show it is the alcoholic drink consumed most by young people. Some recent national polls have shown most young people turning from drugs to alcohol, especially beer and and beer containing wine 3.2 percent alcohol was legal in some areas for young people before the recent spate of In legislation. many college communities, moreover, liquor in some form now is licensed on camg puses themselves. , Says one expert Alfred highway dangers. Fleishman, a Anheuser-Buscconsultant for the worlds largest brewery manufacturer, says he knows of no single Lrewery that has such a policy. public-relatio- h, Whether breweries let r alone manufacturshould have a policy is ers a question that can trigger sharp reaction. When a top official of Schaefer Brewing Company was asked whether or not his company should have such a policy, he replied sharply that he would not answer because he considered such a question a trap. According to Dr. Arthur Van Duser of the states health division, from January to September, 1971, before the new law, there were 54 tests of blood samples taken from young people killed in auto accidents, and 63 percent of those involved had been drinking. During the same period this year, there were 50 tests: percent had been drinking. the national level, the United States Brewers Association has no such program, though it does have a youth understanding program to let young people know that use of liquor in violation of state laws or when under age is usually punishable. The program is under way in some 10 states. most of the Significantly, for compared with 501 in the first six months of 1971. . In contrast to these more there is views, optimistic some disturbing evidence. In In other words, accidents! MORE ACCIDENTS According to statistics gathered by the Michigan state police, during the first six months of 1972 the state had 1,251 drinking-drive- accidents r 750 more say state police, the important fact is that the new drinking provision went into effect on Jan. 1, Yet, police say: Before the law went into effect, for the first six months of 1971, there were 519 accidents. For 1972: 1,263. An increase Young people need to see that, even though the alcohol content in beer is below that of hard liquor or fortified wines, drinking a number of beers quickly, alone or without food intake, can be just as dangerous as imbibing liquor particularly if any driving is involved. Finally, police say, take the 1,094 compared with crease of 582. 512. accidents An BEER FIRST STEP As to alcoholism, many rewith habilitation experts whom this writer talked believe that the beer industry in this case the U.S. Brewers Association has a special responsibility to inform young drinkers that given present conditions up to 1 in every 15 drinkers is likely to become and that beer an alcoholic is usually the first step on that long road. safety-coordinatio- number of safety experts are asking for a moratorium on further passage of lowered drinking ages, until the effects of current liberalization can be studied. More than anyone else, the people who make liquor know its dangers. To stand on the sidelines in this issue is the of ultimate negligence, Midwestern one grumbles business critic. Howard Pyle, the highly respected president of the National Safety Chicago-baseCouncil, has come out adamantly against legalizing sales of alcohol to teenagers. He is one of the first national public leaders to do so, despite the clamor from most political groups. In a speech in April Mr. Pyle said that the interests of traffic safety will not be served by such legislation. Based upon samplings of opinion taken by this newspaper from around the nation, the effects of lowering the drinking age are still somewhat inconclusive, though there is some evidence that the accident rate may be on the rise for young people. In A now . d TRAGIC RESULTS Studies have shown, Pyle argued, that younger drivers who drink are more likely to become involved in traffic crashes than older, more experienced drinking drivers even though the young persons may have fairly low concentrations. In the case of alcoholic beverare learning ages, the driving task, at the same time as they are learning how to drink. with than associ- ate with Says comGeorge Curry, mander of the youth division of the Nashville Police Department: It (lowering the drinking age) was a tragic mistake. Any time you put political interests over the wellbeing and morals of children its always a mistake." It is primarily because of findings such as these that some police officers are troubled about the effects of drinking particularly since many more 14, 15, and associate (Contributing to this article were special correspondents John Wyngaard in Wisconsin; Jon Ford in Texas; Mike Gil in Fedo Minnesota; Cranburg in Iowa; and Harry Hoffman in West Virginia. Also Ginni McNally in New York.) Next: lobbying: Liquor strong and effective. PROBLEMS?: EYE Medicinal Eye Wash floats out dust and Jirt. Relieves burning and itching. Soothes away redness. Satisfaction guaranteed. Insist on genuine LAVOPT1K with eyecup at GentlcLAVOPTIK n ''EIGHT DSmJS" that before legalization of liquor, safety workers were concerned about beer islands that attracted sometimes young people, involving long driving trips to PACKAGE 0743 distant rural areas. In Madison, where there is a significant Influx of young people to the large University of Wisconsin campus, there has apparently been no measincrease in urable needs. The tavern spree is over, argues Inspector Herman Thomas of the Madison Police Department. The young folks are doing their drinking at home, ?&- $1.29 89c AA BROMO 258 VALUE OUNCE 2 BOTTLE 1 85c Value Oz. Jar ACM (SQGrJIG in their apartments, in the dormitories and before the television sets. Much as I dislike television, this is one of its gains. In Iowa, where the drinking age was lowered to 19 last July 1, there is also some uncertainty about immediate results. One interesting differin other states as well ence is that there may well be a sharp disparity between what statistics are in fact saying and how' officials, particularly officers, are perceiving the situation. NO BIG DIFFERENCE? Deodorant. I.JUZ. Size $1 .09 Value 77 AQRQ J y V nr ii A number of top police officials say they are skeptical of any measurable rise in acci- dents because of the lowering of the drinking age. I doubt are that any more drinking and driving now, says Col. Howard S. Miller, chief of the Iowa Highway Patrol. Most were doing it y UL-- KI k 1 LJ Deodorant ANALGESIC 0 FAST PAIN RELIEF illULGESI TTAIDILGTO HADACHCCOUWYttHNEUMlGIVUTj before the law illegally changed. Many juveniles had been drinking beer and hard liquor, so it hasnt made a great deal of difference. BOTTLE OF TrAlBQJFirS 50 TABLETS Says Chief Robert Beener of rMedical Assistant FOR RELIEF OF COLD & 99c VALUE Training 521-283- VALUE DRr.lO GGE.T2GC1 PACKAGE OF SIX now can drink legally in these states, according to the National Safety Council: New Y ork Georgia Hawaii Rhode Island Louisiana Tennessee Maine Vermont West Virginia Michigan Massachusetts (starts early 73) Nineteen-year-old- s now can drink legally in: Alaska Montana Idaho Nebraska Iowa To some observers, however, the industrys passivity on the question is in itself inexcusable. in- A15 Wednesday, January 7, 973 Maj. of 744. CITY, UTAH 1 bureau, recalls Eighteen-year-old- s push for age reduction. Again, in Pennsylvania, which operates the largest state liquor monopoly in the nation (with annual sales ringing in at above $350 million and profits of $50 million), the legislature has so far balked at reducing the drinking age from 21 to 18. Yet the legal age is at 18 on most other subjects. PASSIVITY BAD LAKE 1 GHQCDaaDiro fiESQGQS Where Teens Can Drink push for lower drinking ages appears to be coming from lawmakers aware of the new youth vote rather than from the liquor interests themselves. In Texas, for example, where various liquor lobbies are strong, there has been virtually no industry SALT 1972. Consider the on rehabil- itation from alcoholism: DESERET NEWS 78 John Radcliffe, head of the state highway long-rang- any more of a problem. Its apparent to us that kids who wanted to drink before did so. Im not suggesting it was a great idea to change the law, but it hasnt hurt anything. Instead of drinking a bottle at the side of the road, theyre going into taverns. BEER ISLANDS hard-liquo- On the Waterloo, Iowa, police department; It hasnt created Wisconsin, for example, which lowered its drinking age to 18 last year, no firm statistical evidence is yet in, though there are some clues. Obligation? By GUY HALVERSON Christian Science Monitor News Service t, accidents among Memphis, young drivers are up about 25 percent; some police officers are quite concerned at the e pattern. But most troubling is substantial evidence coming out of Michigan, state a typical urban-rura- l with a population mix fairly representative of the nation as a whole. HAYFEVER SYMPTOMS 0 24's shoes and purses is our bag. $1 .49 VALUE Fixing experts in our shoe repair can renew that favorite handbag of yours the following ways: The blood-alcoh- 1 new handle new clasp new turn reset frame new hinge new spring new end lugs fear the results may be tragic. Eleven states now permit drinking. Massachusetts will join the roster in early 1973. Five states now allow drinking. Thomas J. Donavan, president of Licensed Beverage Industries, (distilled liquor) Inc., said in an interview: We think children should be taught about alcohol, the dangers of its use, and also the other side, that the vast majority of people who drink do so without harm to themselves . . . NO EFFORT YET Most brewing companies do not yet appear to have undertaken any type of individual refinish or dye like new This week: Plastic purse handles 99 1 0e OFF $1.09 VALUE, REGULAR $1.39 Value ALBERT0 OR MINT BALSAM c 14 inch Reg. 1.50 Zippers repaired or replaced by our experts JCPenney Downtown shoe repair TUIUJ THE PAGE FOR MOHS EXCITING FOOD VALUES AT e 111 III 0 |