ADS MAY FUEL LATINO ALCOHOLISM; REPORT SHOWS RISE IN DEATHS, VIOLENCE.

Byline: Ann Bancroft Associated Press 

``Drinko for Cinco,'' proclaims a parrot dressed in Mexican clothing and clutching a bottle of Corona beer.

``Gracias a Dios por Budweiser,'' says the young Latina scholarship winner pictured in a Latino business magazine.

Marketing to California's Latino population, nearly 10 million strong and growing faster than any other ethnic group, is big business for the liquor industry.

Domestic brewers spent $26.3 million on Latino advertising in 1996 alone, according to a report released Thursday by the CalPartners Coalition of community-based substance abuse prevention organizations.

According to the report, ``The Effects of Alcohol on Latinos in California,'' the ads have been effective. Maybe too effective, the organizations say.

Along with an increase in alcohol use, Latino communities are suffering increasingly from alcohol's negative effects, from liver disease to violent crime and family problems, said Eduardo Hernandez, the report's author and coalition project manager.

Hernandez, of Los Angeles, and coalition members from Salinas, Sacramento, Stockton and Alameda County released the compilation of scientific and anecdotal information at a Capitol news conference. The event was timed to promote Alcohol Awareness Month, which will start Wednesday.

``From a public health perspective, substantial numbers of Latinos are dying because of the negative effects of alcohol,'' Hernandez said.

A study by the American Public Health Association and a survey of alcohol-related deaths at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center found that Latinos are overrepresented among alcohol-related deaths, according to the report.

Cirrhosis of the liver accounted for 52 percent of Latino male deaths in Los Angeles - more than twice the incidence among white males, the report said.

CalPartners places part of the blame on ``saturation'' marketing in Latino communities. Beer and liquor billboards featuring scantily clad Latinas and Mexican cultural symbols abound in Latino neighborhoods.

Martin Medina of Salinas said he considers the use of the Mexican flag, eagle and other patriotic symbols by beer companies offensive.

Louis Deleon, Anheuser-Busch Company spokesman, responded: ``Our ads reflect the country's diversity. To suggest that people of a certain ethnic origin should be protected from certain types of advertising is elitist, condescending and insulting.''

CalPartners called on Latino communities to ``say no'' to beer and liquor company sponsorship of Cinco de Mayo festivals. Stockton has sponsored an alcohol-free celebration for the past two years.

Beer companies have tried to create a positive public image in Latino communities by sponsoring ``drink responsibly'' brochures and Latino scholarships like the one featured in the ``Thank God for Budweiser'' ad.

``Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding commitment to the Hispanic community and a tradition of giving back in the areas of education, economic development, arts and culture, and women's issues,'' Deleon said in a prepared statement. He said the company has donated more than $30 million to the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

ALCOHOL'S EFFECTS

Social and health effects of alcohol on the Latino population, as cited by the CalPartners Coalition of community-based substance abuse prevention organizations:

Twelve percent of homicides of Latinos occur in bars.

Latino children are exposed to as many as 61 alcohol advertisements each day.

Liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver are the sixth- and seventh-leading causes of death among Latinos.

Heavy drinking is decreasing among whites but increasing among Latinos.

``Substantial numbers'' of Latino youths live in family environments where alcohol-related problems, including violence, are present.

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