The New Hampshire Public Health Association (NHPHA) recognizes that alcohol and other drug problems negatively impact individuals, families, and communities throughout the state. Abuse of alcohol and drugs not only results in suffering by individuals and families, but also impacts the broader community through problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome, domestic violence, reductions on worker productivity, highway fatalities, increases in chronic illness, crime, and homelessness. All of these issues associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs cause major financial burdens for the residents of New Hampshire. The NHPHA supports:

• Strengthening the enforcement of laws and regulations that prohibit the sale or other provision of alcohol beverages to youth under the age of 21;
• Efforts to educate, intervene with, and treat alcohol and other drug problems among all New Hampshire residents, but especially with our youth and pregnant women; and
• Encouraging all health care providers to screen and educate patients about "risky drinking" and other inappropriate drug use.

Resources:

Champion HL, KL Foley, RH DuRant, R Hensberry, D Altman, and M Wolfson, “Adolescent Sexual Victimization, Use of Alcohol and other Substances, and Other Health Risk Behaviors,” Journal of Adolescent Health 35:4 (October 2004) 321-328.

Dietz Tracy L. “Predictors of Reported Current and Lifetime Substance Abuse Problems among a National Sample of U.S. Homeless.” Substance Use & Misuse 42:11 (2007) 1745-1766.

Kindelberger, John, “Calculating Lives Saved Due to Minimum Drinking Age Laws,” Traffic Safety Facts Research Notes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, March 2005. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.d...Pubs/809860.pdf

Miller TR, DT Levy, RS Spicer, and DM Taylor, “Societal Costs of Underage Drinking.”
J Stud Alcohol67: 4 (July 2006) 519-528.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Healthy People 2010: Substance Abuse”
http://www.healthypeop...26Substance.htm

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Communities.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007.
http://www.surgeongene...munityGuide.pdf

US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Enhanced Enforcement of Laws to Prevent Alcohol Sales to Underage Persons--New Hampshire, 1999-2004,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 4:53 (June 2004) 452-454.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmw...ml/mm5321a2.htm

U.S. Department of Labor, “General Workplace Impact”
http://www.dol.gov/asp...rs/stats/wi.asp