(CBS) Underage drinking is on the rise in the United States, according to a new study just released by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.

And, the committee estimated the cost to American society of underage drinking at $53 billion annually in losses stemming from crime, traffic crashes and other activities.

Professor Richard Bonnie of the University of Virginia is the chairman of the study and he joined The Early Show from Washington, D.C. to discuss the findings.

Bonnie says the research found 50 percent of all high school students have had a drink in the last 30 days. A 2002 study found that 72 percent of 12th graders and 39 percent of eighth graders reported having consumed alcohol in the previous year.

The study also offers a nationwide strategy to limit youth access to alcohol. The study suggests Congress and state legislatures should raise taxes on alcohol, especially beer, to discourage underage drinking. In the report, the Institute of Medicine also recommended more careful advertising of alcohol to prevent children from getting bombarded with pro-drinking messages.

The report also recommended focusing on changing the way that society views drinking. One suggestion, Bonnie says, is for the Motion Picture Association of America to consider content about alcohol use when rating films, and assign mature ratings for movies that portray drinking in a favorable light. Other recommendations include:

• Increase the frequency of compliance checks to make sure merchants follow minimum-age drinking laws.
  
• Require sellers and servers of alcohol to complete state-approved training.
  
• Have a federal requirement that states achieve specified rates of retailer compliance to qualify for federal funds.
  
• Adopt regulations on Internet sales and home delivery of alcohol, in states that allow them, that require customers to verify their identity and age at the time of delivery.
  
• Have the alcohol industry join public and private groups to create and finance a foundation that focuses on reducing underage drinking.
  
• Establish in the entertainment industry rating systems and codes to make sure that young people are not exposed to unsuitable messages about alcohol.

The study was requested by Congress to revise existing programs and reduce underage drinking. The legal drinking age in the U.S. was raised to 21 by Congress in 1984 and, Bonnie says, there are widespread indicators underage drinkers are the most likely to misuse alcohol.

He says the average teens start drinking now at 14 years old. Bonnie warns parents and adults need to understand the seriousness of the problem of minors drinking and the alcohol industry marketing to underage drinkers.

The study also recommends that liability statutes against merchants who sell to minors need to be held responsible for supplying alcohol to minors. Retailers need policy and training to reduce sales to minors.

© MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Back To Top