Drug Watch
International
Position Statement
ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO: TWO
DANGEROUS GATEWAY DRUGS
The
use of alcohol and tobacco has taken a great toll on youth and society and is a
predictor of future alcohol abuse and addiction, as well as the use of other
drugs. Therefore, Drug Watch
International supports all efforts to prevent use of these drugs by youth and
supports efforts to restrict advertising of them to the general public.
Background:
Alcohol
and nicotine are legal drugs for adults in many countries.
Even though these dangerous and addictive drugs are "socially
acceptable" for adults, they are, to one degree or another, controlled
substances for youth throughout the world.
Many cultures try to limit their young from using alcohol or tobacco.
Efforts to prevent the use of alcohol and tobacco by youth should not be
confused with efforts to prohibit adult use of either of these drugs.
However, it is time adults looked at their own alcohol and tobacco use,
if they want to influence young people.
In
North America and other countries, alcohol is the number one drug used by teens.
Its use is also the number one contributing factor in youthful deaths.
In the U.S., the use of alcohol is associated with at least one-half of
all car crashes, suicides, drownings, crimes of violence, unplanned sex, poor
school performance, and other trauma among youth.
Alcohol
and tobacco kill more people annually than all other drugs combined.
Alcohol alone is associated with at least one-fourth of all hospital
visits in the United States. Nicotine
is one of the most addictive and harmful of all drugs.
There
is a false perception that if a drug is legal it must cause less problems.
In many countries and cultures, the use of alcohol and/or tobacco is so
deeply woven into the cultural fabric of those countries that neither is
acknowledged as a drug or even as a problem.
Rationale:
In
July 1995, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded for the first
time that nicotine is a drug and that it should be regulated as a controlled
substance. Regulations were
proposed restricting access to tobacco products and restricting attempts to make
these products appealing to children and adolescents. Indeed, if alcohol and tobacco were new products seeking FDA
clearance today, each would likely be rejected as hazardous and addictive.
A
recent study by Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse,
states that the earlier children use the gateway drugs tobacco or alcohol or
marijuana, the more likely they are to move on to other drugs.
Youth who drank alcohol were 50 times more likely to use cocaine, and
those who smoked tobacco cigarettes were 19 times as likely to use cocaine.
Nearly 90% of cocaine users had smoked tobacco or drank alcohol or used
marijuana first. The study, based
on 30,000 American households, established a clear progression that began with
use of the gateway drugs of alcohol, tobacco or marijuana and led to use of
other drugs.
Dr.
John Slade reported at the 1989 National Conference on Nicotine Dependence in
San Diego, California, that tobacco smoking teaches drug acquisition skills to
the youth. He said, "For the
most part, they're illegal for kids to buy.
In addition, kids who smoke get firsthand experience in using a substance
to adjust emotional states." Slade
reports that tobacco use teaches drug-taking skills and that tobacco use
promotes an attitude that fosters other drug taking behaviors.
Compounding
the problem is the relative ease with which youth can access alcohol and
tobacco. Both drugs are widely
available, inexpensive and heavily marketed, making them especially attractive
to youth, who are the most price-sensitive consumer age group.
The
right of adults to consume either of these drugs is a notion heavily promoted by
the alcohol and tobacco industries. This
argument is meaningless for many young people who have reached the legal age for
use with no real choice left, because they are already addicted.
They have been seduced into use of both drugs by slick marketing targeted
at youth long before they have had their first drink or used tobacco for the
first time.
Youth
are bombarded daily with alluring advertising and marketing techniques.
Because new alcohol or tobacco users are rarely adults, images that imply
sexual prowess, athletic ability, popularity, freedom and escape from problems
are especially appealing to young people. Children
grow up thinking that they cannot have a good time without alcohol or tobacco.
They don't realize that many adults choose not to drink.
Alcohol
can kill or cause serious problems any time a young person uses it.
Yet, some youth are convinced that drinking alcohol or using tobacco does
not cause immediate problems in their lives, and most are certain that they
could quit at any time. The average teen smoker had his/her first whole
cigarette by 13 and became a daily smoker by age 14.5.
Drug
Watch International recognizes and supports the various efforts of many
concerned drug preventionists who are attempting to prevent the use of alcohol
and tobacco by youth. Many Drug
Watch members are local and national leaders in this aspect of prevention.
We must never retreat in our efforts to prevent drug use by youth.
Drug
Watch International supports the many promising practices and strategies aimed
at preventing youthful alcohol and tobacco use, including:
changing social acceptance of use by youth, increasing law enforcement
efforts for those who provide or procure these drugs for youth, increasing
excise taxes, creating more meaningful and effective consequences for those who
provide alcohol or tobacco to adolescents, increasing prevention programs,
restricting advertising and marketing, and supporting legislation and public
policy that limits the lobbying practices of the alcohol and tobacco industries.
COPYRIGHT:
Permission is granted to reproduce this article,
provided credit is given to Drug Watch International.
References: Alcohol & Tobacco
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