As a student at the Pennsylvania State University, I come to here for help. We have a serious problem throughout our nation that no one has taken time to consider. The United States of America is affected by something every single day that is not terrorism. That thing, is alcohol. Alcohol related laws in our state need to be more strict in order to keep our citizens safe. Not only do we need to worry about the safety and well being of individuals, we need to make sure our communities at large are safe. By taking care of said laws at a state level, I believe that the nation will soon follow our lead. Alcohol in this great country of ours is something that is not taken seriously enough. Yes, we crack down hard on DUIs, but there are other things you and your fellow senators need to look into. Alcohol is the reason for 45,250 deaths annually (blachford and krapp) and we still have not made alcohol laws any stricter. Multiple families have to go through heartbreak every year, because offenders of the law are influenced by alcohol and act irrationally.  Today, I am bringing three points to light. First, alcohol is more harmful to our citizens than other drugs yet its laws are still lenient. Second, alcohol is extremely harmful to our citizens yet its laws are still lenient. Finally, I will compare the legalities of marijuana and alcohol to show you why alcohol related laws should be more strict. We need to intimidate lawbreakers with stricter laws. I am all too familiar with alcohol and the problems it causes, and it is time to take a stand. I am not trying to say alcohol should be illegal. I am saying that laws should be made to protect our people.

Alcohol is one of the most harmful drugs for a consumer, yet we have not upgraded our laws related to it enough to scare offenders. Thousands of American citizens have lost their lives over alcohol and we have not done anything. Penalties should strike fear into people so they do not drink in excess. The latest publication of the American Scientist reports that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs one can consume. Like I stated above more than 45,000 people die from alcohol every year, and thats only from alcohol poisoning. Mr. Corman, why are we allowing our people to consume something that is so harmful to their health? We need to make laws that limit the amount of alcohol liquor stores are permitted to sell to one person. By doing this the people of our country will not be able to buy enough alcohol to kill themselves. Alcohol also has many long term health effects too. According to research reported this year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 21% of all diseases and injuries were alcohol related. That means that ⅕ of the countries diseases are caused by alcohol. If that is not enough to show you that we need to bare down the hatches when it comes to alcohol, let me show you another reason why laws need to be more strict.

Sources:

Mantel, B. (2006, August 18). Drinking on campus. CQ Researcher, 16, 649-672

“Table of deaths caused by injuries related to alcohol.” Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students. Ed. Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web.

9 July 2013.

Thompson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from “Study: Why Teen Pot Smoking Could Be a Good Thing.” www.alternet.org. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 July 2013.

Sullum, Jacob. “The war over weed: if you know why marijuana was banned, you know why it should be legalized.” Reason Jan. 2013: 60+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 July 2013.

http://eofdreams.com/alcohol.html (picture)