• Adweek, Thursday, March 8, 2007 11:15 AM

The U.S. Surgeon General wants to see the end of alcohol advertising in college publications and sponsored college events, along with a voluntary cutback on billboards. The Surgeon General has also asked the entertainment and media industries not to glamorize underage alcohol use in films and on TV.

A new report made no call for additional legislation, instead proposing expanded educational initiatives at the community level. "Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life," says acting surgeon general Kenneth Moritsugu, in a statement. "Too many Americans consider underage drinking a rite of passage to adulthood."

The report, developed with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, claims there are 11 million underage drinkers in the U.S., and more than 7 million "binge drinkers." The Distilled Spirits Council, a liquor industry trade group, supports the call to action, saying that it and "member companies believe any amount of underage drinking is too much."

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