The vast majority of people know that alcohol is extremely dangerous.

But as the government and forces of law and order launch various initiatives to tackle drugs abuse issues, alcohol seems to have been put on a back burner.

As more and more 'pop politics' campaigns are announced, such as this week's initiative on truancy, there is little or no mention of the very real issue of young people with alcohol problems.

Last week one of the authors of a new report highlighted the dangers and pointed out that 1,500 young people are admitted to hospital each year with alcohol poisoning.

One school of thought among some families is that it is in order for their offspring to drink alcohol - as it is far more preferable to them taking drugs.

The report authors - Jane Britton, an alcohol misuse prevention worker at Henry Street, and Annie Bhogal from Project 6 - found that primary care health workers in Keighley were not providing adequate assessment and advice for people with alcohol problems.

It has to be stressed the report's purpose was not to criticise, but to identify the current situation and needs for the future. Their findings, published nationally, have been welcomed and are now to be used to help GPs and nurses through the Airedale Primary Care Trust.

With workers like Jane and Annie the dangers of alcohol will be kept on the agenda within this area and positive action taken. It also shows once again that Keighley is in the forefront of contributing to, or leading, national debates.

The use of illicit drugs is obviously a major issue. It is time alcohol misuse, especially by the young, was given the same priority through a national strategy.