Outlaw alcohol ads

Monday's article in the Deseret News by Maria Cheng of the Associated Press was most interesting. The medical journal Lancet reported that alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine because it is so widely used and it has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but also for those around them. Experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol.

To me we can start by outlawing the advertising of all alcoholic drinks, beer, wine, etc. on billboards and TV just as we did with tobacco. Look what it did to reduce the use of tobacco. By their clever advertising they entice young people to drink beer by making it look like they are having fun. Researchers have analyzed how addictive a drug it is and how it harms the human body. When taken in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates, mainly on our highways, and is involved in a greater percentage of crimes than most other drugs, including heroin. In addition to other criteria, like environmental damage caused by the drug, it's role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social service and prison are enormous. We can start by outlawing the advertising of all alcoholic beverages just as we did with tobacco.

Dee Bates

Salt Lake City