Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, last Friday negotiators from the tobacco industry and State attorneys general announced the landmark…”

“Mr. President, last Friday negotiators from the tobacco industry and State attorneys general announced the landmark agreement addressing the impact of tobacco use on our Nation, particularly our young people. Although this important deal will likely face many obstacles and has a long way to go toward implementation, it is an unprecedented first step toward curbing tobacco use and paying for the harm caused by that use. This process has caused our Nation to focus on an important public health danger and is an important step in working toward a meaningful solution. While I applaud the action being taken to address the pernicious health effects of tobacco, I am concerned that its evil twin, which also has a staggering impact on our Nation, is to a large measure being ignored. Mr. President, the cost of alcohol abuse to our country is staggering. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health, alcohol is used by more Americans than any other drug. And the results are devastating. The flood tide of alcohol causes more than 100,000 deaths each year in the United States. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism imposes approximately $100 billion in cost each year on society. Links have been found between alcohol abuse and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as other harmful health conditions. Alcohol is a contributing factor in assaults, murders and other violent crimes, including fatal drinking and driving accidents.”