Cord Byrd: “alcohol is the drug used most by teens with devastating consequences. According to statistics compiled by the National…”

“alcohol is the drug used most by teens with devastating consequences. According to statistics compiled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, among children between the ages of 16 and 17, 69.3 percent have at one point in their lifetimes experimented with alcohol. As I consistently remind my colleagues, in the last month, approximately 8 percent of the nation's eighth graders have been drunk. Eighth graders are 13 years old, Mr. President! Junior and senior high school students drink 35 percent of all wine coolers and consume 1.1 billion cans of beer a year. And I will repeat what is common knowledge to us all--every state has a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to individuals under the age of 21. Knowing this, how is it then that two out of every three teenagers who drink report that they can buy their own alcoholic beverages? As if the dangers of youth alcohol consumption are not bad enough, statistics have shown that alcohol is a gateway to other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. Drinking impairs one's judgment and when mixed with teenage driving there are too often lethal results. In 1995, there were 2,206 alcohol-related fatalities of children between the ages of 15 and 20. For many years, I have taken the opportunity when addressing groups of youth West Virginians to warn them about the dangers of alcohol, and I have supported legislative efforts to discourage people, particularly young people, from drinking any alcohol.”