ALEXANDRIA , VA – The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), representing the interests of America’s beer distributors, applauds the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) continuing efforts to address the problem of underage drinking. SAMHSA is coordinating 1,600 Town Hall meetings across the country to discuss the issue of underage drinking. The meetings, which will be open to the public and the media, will take place during the week of March 31-April 4. SAMHSA has declared April to be Alcohol Awareness Month.

“Beer distributors work every day to reduce underage drinking, and we look forward to working with SAMHSA and community leaders to tackle this issue.” said NBWA President Craig Purser. “Alcohol is regulated on the state level, and we commend SAMHSA for addressing the issue of underage drinking in local communities. When it comes to underage drinking, it is important to seek input from the entire community, and America’s beer distributors look forward to being proud participants in these Town Hall discussions throughout the country.”

The Town Hall meetings will give communities the opportunity to come together to learn more about the issue of underage drinking and its impact on both individuals and the community, and to discuss how their community can prevent underage drinking. SAMHSA’s Start Talking Before They Start Drinking program outlines their plan which also includes a Web site, www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. NBWA has maintained a link to this website to encourage beer distributors to utilize these recourses.

In 2006, NBWA and many public health and industry organizations played an instrumental role in helping Congress pass the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act which established a Federal coordinating committee to prevent underage drinking and authorized a national media campaign, new grant programs and research to combat underage drinking. It also acknowledges the important role state-based regulation of alcohol beverages plays in keeping alcohol out of the hands of youth. As the administrator of the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Preventing Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), SAMHSA plays the central role in implementing the directives of the STOP Act.

2008 marks the 75^th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition and passage of the 21^st Amendment which ushered in the state-based system of alcohol regulation and facilitated the development of a system for producing, distributing and retailing alcohol that successfully continues to foster a balanced and orderly marketplace in America. Operating within this state-regulated system, America’s beer distributors sponsor numerous programs in their communities to fight underage drinking, drunk driving and alcohol abuse.