The study found that 27.6 percent of persons ages 12 to 20 drank alcohol in the past month. Rates of underage past-month alcohol use were among the lowest in Utah (13.7 percent) and among the highest in North Dakota (40.6 percent) and Vermont (40.4 percent). Approximately 8.6 percent of past-month drinkers ages 12 to 20 purchased their own alcohol the last time they drank. The percentages of past-month drinkers in this age group who bought their own alcohol were among the lowest in Alaska (3.1 percent) and New Mexico (3.7 percent) and among the highest in Louisiana and the District of Columbia (both at 18.8 percent). The study concludes that although there is wide variation in underage drinking and self-purchase of alcohol by underage drinkers among States, no State has escaped these problems. Highlighting the prevalence of these problems in each State can assist Federal, State, and local policymakers plan for and allocate resources in order to counter underage drinking. Measures that have proven effective are to reduce the availability of alcohol to youth and raise awareness of underage drinking and its consequences. 2 figures and 5 notes