<HTML> <HEAD> <title>WebForm1</title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 7.1"> <meta name="CODE_LANGUAGE" content="Visual Basic .NET 7.1"> <meta name="vs_defaultClientScript" content="JavaScript"> <meta name="vs_targetSchema" content="http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisense/ie5"> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content='text/html; charset=UTF-8'> </HEAD> <body > <TABLE id="Table1" cellSpacing="1" cellPadding="1" width="100%" border="0"> <TR> <TD><b>Comment Number:</b></TD> <TD>522852-00038</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Received Date:</b></TD> <TD>5/2/2006 10:04:36 AM</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Organization:</b></TD> <TD></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Commenter:</b></TD> <TD>Barhydt, Mary</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>State:</b></TD> <TD>NC</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Agency:</b></TD> <TD>Federal Trade Commission</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Rule:</b></TD> <TD>Proposed Information Requests to Manufacturers of Alcoholic Beverages</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Docket ID:</b></TD> <TD>PO64505</TD> </TR> <TR> <td colspan='2'>No Attachments</td> </TR> </TABLE> <hr/> <b>Comments:</b><br/><br/> Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras Federal Trade Commission - Office of the Secretary Room H-135 (Annex J), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20580 Dear Chairman Majoras, I have watched with anger while the alcohol industry degrades women and glamorizes alcohol while targeting our youth and minority populations. Most of my anger is at their success and our apparent unwillingness to regulate their advertising. I have been a senior adminitrator at two universities during the past 28 years. I have seen Blacks begin to drink beerin ever growing numbers as the malt beverage industry depicts more and more of them using and enjoying alcoholic beverages. I have watched young women increase their usages until their binge rates are almost equal to men's as the industry pitches to them. I have seen the age of onset drinking becomeing lower and lower as the industry invents drinks that are more appealing to children and continues to advertise in ways that attract their attention. We did not tolerate Joe Camel, why are we tolerating this? The government seems to understand the risks of nicotine, but not understand the public health risks associated with the heavy consumption of alcohol by our youth. Research is continually demonstrating that the earlier a youth begins to consume alcohol, the more damage comes to that youth both in absolute brain damage and psycho/social development. We are allowing this industry to pollute our youth. AS I have been watching, I have worked with young men and women whose lives have been ruined as they engage in high-risk alcohol-related behavior. MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS DRINK THEMSELVES TO DEATH EACH YEAR THAN THE TOTOL NUMBER OF AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE DIED IN IRAQ AND AFGANISTAN SINCE THOSE CONFLICTS BEGAN. Dispite that, we continue to allow the industry to glamorize this drug through slick advertising, we allow beer to be sold in stores at a cost lower than milk or soda pop,we allow bars and clubs to promote drinking games (penny til you pee night, ladies drink free for the first hour, etc.), and we turn our backs. The federal government does not do nearly enough to monitor alcohol industry marketing. Self-regulation by the industry is clearly insufficient, given the well-documented, repeated failures of alcohol manufacturers to adhere to voluntary guidelines. Because of the massive public health consequences of underage drinking and the alcohol industry's utter failure to police itself, I urge the FTC to strengthen its reporting process in the following ways: 1. Report on alcohol industry advertising practices once a year, as the FTC now does with tobacco advertising. Although the previous ad hoc reports have been useful, an annual report on alcohol advertising compliance would greatly increase accountability of alcohol marketers. 2. Collect much more detailed data, including product brands popular with youth, target-audience ethnicity, sports-related marketing, and magazine and television advertising where youth audience rates exceed 15 percent. 3. Collect information on "responsibility" and "prevention" advertising by alcoholic-beverage companies, as well as advertising touting charitable activities of alcoholic-beverage producers or promoting the "health benefits" of alcoholic beverages. 4. Compare voluntary advertising compliance among various segments of the alcoholic-beverage industry, and make recommendations for both strengthening and enforcing advertising standards. 5. Support state efforts to curb underage access to alcohol. Pennsylvania is a leader. Look to them. Thank you for considering my views. I hope to see the FTC play a continued and increasingly active role in protecting our youth from irresponsible and dangerous alcohol marketing. </body> </HTML>