survey, gender, ethnicity, family background, and statistical approach provide overall reassurance about the meaningfulness of our findings. Longitudinal data with more exact information about state(s) of residence in late adolescence would control for selective migration, and would allow investigation of the relative importance of legal access to alcohol at specific ages. The interpretation of the DSM-IV constructs of substance abuse and dependence remain controversial (Day and Homish, 2002), and another useful step will be to study MLDA effects on other outcomes, including the quantity and frequency of drinking, adverse health events, employment, income, and family function.
