"Drinks With Youth Appeal Draw Growing Opposition" (4/13/07 p. A12)

Isn't it bad enough that cigarette companies are purposing targeting the youth market? Now there is a growing concern about alcohol companies doing the same thing by curbing under-age drinking. Obviously, no good can come from this one.

I'll admit it. I'm in college and I like to have fun. However, I'm only 20 years old and legally shouldn't be having that kind of fun quite yet. I'm not even a big fan of the taste of alcohol. I like to minimize the taste as much as possible. Drinks like Mike's Hard Lemonade and Smirinoff Ice. I've contributed to the whole point of the article, shame on me. According to The Times, health researchers say that one reason products like Bacardi Silver and Zimas are so popular is because the taste of alcohol is faint. These types of products are contributing to under-age drinking. They're the kind of drinks that get teens comfortable with alcohol. Very true.

Is it ethical for these companies to "target" under-age drinkers? Absolutely not. Can anyone prove that they're actually doing this? No. That is maybe part of the problem. Several youth groups in California are prompting the state to adopt stricter rules for drinks that contain distilled spirits but are sold and taxed as beer. Personally, I don't see that as a good plan to stop this problem.

The article stated that Maine has already reclassified the drinks, commonly known as alcopops and flavored malt beverages, as hard liquor. There are proposals to do the same in Arkansas, Illinois, and Nebraska. The California board is holding a series of public hearings, including one in May, that could lead to new restrictions by the end of the summer. This law would make these drinks more expensive (the tax would jump to $3.30 a gallon from 20 cents a gallon) and it would be more difficult to buy. One second thought, this doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Opponents of the effort in California, including small-business owners, the Flavored Malt Beverage Coalition and other industry groups, argue that the debate about drinks is surrounded by "significant misconceptions," in the words of Gary Galanis, a spokesman for Diageo, one of the world's largest alcohol manufacturers and the maker of Smirnoff. Along with many other flavored malt beverages are roughly as potent as beer, containing 5 percent to 7 percent alcohol per volume compared with 4 percent to 6 percent beer. The drinks come from brewing, not distilling, he said, and the alcohol in the beverages stems from added flavoring, not hard liquor. This statement sounds exaggerated, which is unethical for companies to do. They need to step up and accept the fact that their company is contributing to under-age drinking, which is something they need to take seriously. When people like Mr. Galanis are saying there is no reason to change their product, they need to open their eyes and realize that maybe there is.

Most high school students drink with a purpose: to get drunk. It's sad, but true. However, alcopops are not very effective unless you are a lightweight. There are those that likes hots of whiskey and vodka, which obviously makes people become drunk quickly. Most teens say they don't need to be trained to drink, yet, they don't always realize that, yes, they do.

Maybe the big problem is that alcohol is incredibly easy for minors to get their hands on. That seems more reasonable than the taste contributing to the problem. Who can rally judge? All the factors that under-age drinking is something that is almost impossible to prevent. Its going to happen, let's just hope that teens try to be somewhat ethical and make good judgements.

Article by: CAROLYN MARSHALL