by Alan McBride
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
The Department of Children and Families released a new study Tuesday about the impact of underage drinking in Florida, and the impact has a dollar figure tied to it.
According to research conducted through a multidisciplinary group, underage drinking carries not only a human price, but a hefty financial toll.
The dollar value is approximately $3 billion per year, according to research estimates for the year 2007. That means every person in Florida pays about $165 per year for alcohol-related problems that include crime, traffic accidents and health care, the study authors said.
Bill Janes, who heads the Florida Office of Drug Control, said the numbers are alarming, with alcohol-related crime accounting for approximately 48 percent of the total underage drinking costs.
Janes, however, said the problem is neither intractable nor incurable.
He said the state relies on enforcement of existing laws to curb underage drinking, as well as rehabilitation for people suffering alcohol addiction. Florida also has a number of strong prevention programs, Janes said.
The most potent of the prevention programs, according to Janes, is education. He said parents can be miracle-workers when it comes to teaching their underage children about alcohol abuse and leading by example.
Janes contends that it's virtually impossible to take this issue too lightly.
"Alcohol is a problem that, in my thinking, is above cocaine," he said. "It's above any other problem, of which there are many, in our society."
Listen to: Alan McBride
© 2010