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Alcohol and Minority Youth

This article discusses alcohol and minority youth, and introduces this special issue of the Journal of Drug Issues. Minority youth who use (or abuse) alcohol in American society deal with three realities: using “alcohol,” being “minority,” and being young (“youth”). All three dimensions are viewed by the larger society with mixed—sometimes hostile, sometimes fearful—reactions. With minority youth we see the disproportionate occurrence of rapid population growth, poverty, school dropouts, criminal justice system clients, and social welfare system clients. We cannot examine alcoholism among minority youth without seriously coming to grips with poverty, education, and life condition. More and better research and theoretical models are needed that help us to understand and confront this problem.