Why Is It Important That Communities Hold Town Hall Meetings in Spring 2008?
Underage drinking continues to be a leading public health problem in the United States. Alcohol use threatens the safe and healthy development of more young people than any other substance—even more than tobacco and illicit drugs! On an average day in 2006, 7,970 teens drank alcohol for the first time, a much higher number than begin smoking or trying illicit drugs. Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age. As part of a national effort to help communities in their efforts to stop underage drinking, a series of Town Hall Meetings (THMs) will take place across America during the week of March 31–April 4, 2008. This nationwide effort will support efforts to meet goals from The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (PDF) and is supported by the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD).
