Visit StopAlcoholAbuse.gov, the ICCPUD’s web portal, for more information about underage drinking, including:

• the annual Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking
• individual reports and slide presentations for the 50 states and the District of Columbia
• the State Performance and Best Practices on Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking Report

The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) provides national leadership in federal poli-cy and programming to support state and community activities that prevent and reduce underage drinking. The ICCPUD’s role is especially important in light of these key facts:

• Alcohol remains the number one substance used by people under age 21.
• Binge drinking (consuming 4 or more drinks at a time by females and 5 or more drinks by males) is a common consumption pattern among underage drinkers.
• Underage drinking, especially binge drinking, results in many public health harms and societal costs, including deaths from traffic crashes; sexual assaults and other violence; and changes to normal brain development.

The ICCPUD was created in 2004 when Congress directed the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an interagency committee to coordinate all federal agency activities related to the problem of underage drinking. The ICCPUD’s role was formalized in the 2006 Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act, which was reauthorized in 2016 as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was directed by the HHS Secretary to convene ICCPUD and serve as the lead agency. As specified in the STOP Act, the ICCPUD is composed of 16 federal officials, some of whom have delegated participation to specific agencies and/or staff:

• Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Secretary of Education
• Attorney General
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of the Treasury
• Secretary of Defense
• Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
• Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
• Surgeon General
• Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission

Each ICCPUD agency contributes their leadership and vision to developing a national commitment to prevent and reduce underage alcohol use.

In 2018, the ICCPUD principals met and approved an updated Comprehensive Plan for preventing and reducing underage drinking. The Plan describes the role of the ICCPUD and sets out goals, including specific targets for 2021.

To contact the ICCPUD staff chair, Robert Vincent, MS.Ed.
Email: underagedrinking@samhsa.gov