Common sense and the AMA conclude it is. It’s on page 44 of the governors December, 2006 Task force’s talking points: “alcohol is a dangerous drug” close enough for any sober person. (Dec 2006 Oklahoma) There are about 6 lobbyists per elected official in this country. Do I need to connect the dots for you here? This issue can easily reach across the isles. It’s not a “left or “right” issue. It's a human health issue. REF: http://www.publicintegrity.org/hiredguns/chart.aspx?act=lobtoleg It all starts perhaps with the FDA. We’d need to petition them to force them to regard and regulate alcohol as a drug. The FDA and others will fight this because it will in effect make alcohol illegal. That issue can be overcome by allowing alcohol to remain the only “legal narcotic available for adults”. This allows an exception that does not deny any person 21 years of age or over from being able to buy this drug. (No adult’s rights are violated.) The FDA can then require alcoholic beverages to have proper warning and information labels as well as allow the school system to teach this information. Furthermore it can help restrict the alcohol industries advertising that is aimed at children. You’d hope they’d self-restrict their advertising once they are challenged but I am not holding my breath on that one.. The CDC can do PSA’s to educate adults as well as children. I’d like to see them address the disease of addiction using the correct information and work more towards PREVENTION of the disease. The ATF&E’s resources can then be applied to those stores that habitually sell to minors. Last year the OKPD busted 13 of 18 stores that sold to minors in a sting Operation. That’s quite a ratio and points to how easily obtained alcohol is to minors. Some stores rely mainly on teen drinkers for their profits.
