Alcohol is the world’s most popular neurotoxicin. Its effects on the brain are well documented. A recent article in The Washington Post reviews the hidden costs of drinking.
Prohibition was a failure, but the article makes a good case for increasing taxes on alcohol.
peakmemory 
I disagree with the bottom quadrants of this chart. The legal drinking age was 18 in most States until very recently, and I don’t see anything wrong if an expecting mom wants to have a 1/2 a glass of wine with her meal. Why are we so Puritanical in these matters?
I agree with the bottom left, since I don’t think any amount of alcohol will be good for baby. But as with Enrique I disagree with the bottom right. I think we need to separate the concept of what is “unhealthy” and what is “illegal”, and these things cannot completely match.
In my work as a mental health therapist, I can understand the under 18 clause. Drinking is something you want to prolong as long as possible for the developing young adult. Here is a nice fact sheet breaking down the statistics of ill effects of underaged drinking…. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/CollegeFactSheet/CollegeFactSheet.pdf
I have seen underage drinking and it is not a pretty sight! I do not understand the attachment to alcohol. I do not have a “puritanical” objection to alcohol, only a pragmatic one. No harm if an expectant mom has a 1/2 glass?? Really??? Maybe no harm, but no good either. Why risk any harm for so little gain??? It’s the accountant cost/benefit ratio that I am looking at.