David J. Hanson

David Justin Hanson (born 1941) is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the State University of New York in Potsdam, New York. He has researched the subject of alcohol and drinking for over 30 years, beginning with his PhD dissertation investigation, and has written widely on the subject.

About
Hanson is often critical of many prevailing views on the effects of alcohol on the body. He contends, for example, that the benefits of moderate drinking outweigh the harms from abusive drinking. Hanson is a critic of many groups that advocate the reduction of alcohol use; he describes these groups as “neo-prohibitionist.”

Hanson criticizes what he calls the "temperance mentality" of many groups and claims that "their tactic is to establish cultural rather than strictly legal prohibition by making alcohol beverages less socially acceptable and marginalizing those who drink, no matter how moderately."

A critic of the current 21-year-old age limit on drinking in the United States, he has sat on the board of advisors of the National Youth Rights Association since 1998.

Hanson has published books and other publications on alcohol and maintains two websites on the subject, one of which was funded by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Hanson's webpages

 * Alcohol: Problems and Solutions (site funded by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States)
 * About David J. Hanson
 * David J. Hanson publications

Other

 * Mangled Drunk Driving Data? - Dr. David J. Hanson interview
 * Fox News: Lawsuits, Alcohol Advertising and Money
 * Los Angeles Times: Alcohol figures into some young Americans' European plans (may require registration)