The Legislature finds and declares that problems related to the inappropriate use of alcoholic beverages and other drug use adversely affect the general welfare of the people of California. These problems include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Substantial fatalities, permanent disability, and property damage resulting from driving under the influence. Crimes involving alcohol and other drug use are a drain on law enforcement, the courts, and the penal system.
(b) Alcoholism in the individual, which is an addiction to the drug alcohol, with its attendant deterioration of physical and emotional health and social well-being.
(c) Alcoholism and other drug use in the family with its attendant deterioration of all relationships and the well-being of family members.
(d) A risk of increased susceptibility to serious illnesses and other major health problems that ultimately create a burden on both public and private health facilities and resources.
(e) A risk of fetal alcohol syndrome.
(f) Losses in production and tax revenues due to absenteeism, unemployment, and industrial accidents.
(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 862, Sec. 45. Effective January 1, 2005.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018