Thomas Mott Osborne: “I rise in support of H.R. 864. As many have pointed out, underage drinking certainly flies under the radar screen…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 864. As many have pointed out, underage drinking certainly flies under the radar screen, because alcohol is legal, and it is widely accepted. I understand the objection to new spending, a so-called new program. I think it is important to realize that many programs involving alcohol abuse are already ongoing, and they are funded, but they are not authorized, and there is no oversight. That is what this bill does. We are not talking about completely new spending on every issue. We are simply trying to rein in and control and to better channel the spending on underage drinking. Underage drinking costs the citizens of Nebraska $435 million a year. The United States estimate is $53 billion a year. AMA estimates $61 billion. If you can cut that by 10 percent, you are talking about a $5 billion savings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the number of underage deaths due to excessive alcohol use at 4,554 a year. That is more than six times the rate of death in Iraq and Afghanistan.”