SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Governor/Legislator:

Are you aware that the most likely cause of death for a 16-year-old 
in the United States is alcohol-related?  That more than 30% of youth 
under 18 who are confined in long-term juvenile institutions were 
under the influence of alcohol at the time of their arrest?  Yet 2/3 
of teenagers who drink report that they can buy their own alcoholic 
beverages!  (ADD/SUBSTITUTE STATE STATISTICS IF AVAILABLE)

This is an outrage!  It's time that we took underage drinking 
seriously by passing an underage alcohol consumption reduction 
act, similar to the one recommended by the President's Commission 
on Model State Drug Laws.  A copy of that model act is accessible 
on the Internet at "http://www.ncadd.org/campmodel.html".  I urge you 
to compare the provisions of this law with our own statutes on 
underage drinking and introduce legislation that would address 
any loopholes that now exist.

Getting such a law on the books is a necessary step in preventing
 alcohol and other drug problems among young people.  Please do all 
that you can to see that this is included on your legislative agenda.  

Sincerely,