alcohol is my anti-drug

THURSDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol abuse by minors results in almost 3,200 deaths a year -- four times more than deaths due to all illegal drug use combined, a new study finds. Underage drinking also costs the United States $62 billion each year, the researchers found.

And the kicker is...

Despite these numbers, policymakers remain focused on the impact and prevention of drug use in minors, rather than alcohol, the study's authors said. The budget for anti-drug use by America's youth is nearly 25 times that of public funds earmarked for the prevention of alcohol use.

Gotta love the war on drugs.

There is, however, a cold logic behind this example of idiocy inherent in the systemTM. Big alcohol manufacturers can lobby elected officials to lighten the regulation on alcohol and convince everyone that their product is less harmful than other "illegal" substances.