NEO-PROHIBITIONISTS MIGHT DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD

To the Editor:

I recently read an insert on "The Mini-Page" in your newspaper which served as a sort of primer on drugs and alcohol geared towards young children. I applaud you for your efforts to teach our young people about the dangers of drug abuse.

I do take exception to the statements in the article by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Antonia C. Novello with respect to alcohol leading to illegal drug use. While it is true that many people who abuse illegal drugs also abuse alcohol, it is unfair to assume that alcohol is responsible for their self-indulgent and o~ften destructive behavior.

There are more than 80 million beer drinkers in this country who consume our products moderately and resp~onsibly. They aren~'t drug addicts and they aren't criminals, yet that is the message conveyed by Dr. Novello's statement.

As a member of the National Beer Wholesalers Association's Board of Directors, I can assure you that no one is more committed to finding practical, realistic solutions to the problems associated with alcohol abuse. We ha~ve made a statement to minors and anyone of any age who abuses our pr~oducts: We don't ~~want y~our business, we don't need your business: in fact. we'd l~ike to put you out of business.

NBWA has been involved~ in numerous efforts to curb underage drinking and abuse. Yet we are often frustra~ted in our~ ef~forts by sketchy data, distorted facts and well-programmed rhetoric. These s~o-called neo~-prohibitionists are in reality, probably doing as much~ harm as good. When you tell a ~child that~ alcohol is the same as illegal drugs such as crack and heroin, then~ child sees his or her parents drink ~moderately and responsibly, ~what message are you conv~eying? That since alcohol is a drug like crack, and since drinking seems harmless, then crack must be harmless, too? At best, the child will be skeptical of all anti-drug messages, including those of real value.

Buddy Bess

Poplar Bluff