Cord Byrd: “Who ever heard of anybody eating red meat, eggs, and sugar, and getting out in the car and having that car plunge into a…”

“Who ever heard of anybody eating red meat, eggs, and sugar, and getting out in the car and having that car plunge into a tree, weave all across the road, and kill and maim other people? Red meat doesn't cause an individual to drive drunk and get in the car and drive all over the highway. Eggs and sugar don't do that in their form as eggs and sugar, in their natural form. The Senator also, I think, made reference to the Federal Trade Commission in 1985, which found 'no reliable basis to conclude that alcohol advertising significantly affects consumption, let alone abuse.' Well, let's see what the conclusions are from the effects of the mass media on the use and abuse of alcohol. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Research Monograph-28, 1995: [The] preponderance of the evidence indicates that alcohol advertising stimulates higher consumption of alcohol by both adults and adolescents . . . It appears to be a contributing factor that increases drinking to a modest degree rather than being a major determinant.”