A District Court judge in American Samoa, John Ward, says family and social problems caused by alcohol should be addressed as a public health issue.
And he says the territory's chronic substance abuse problem is partly attributable to the government's lax licensing laws.
He made these comments in the case of a 50-year-old man arrested for causing a disturbance at his home after drinking alcohol.
The judge said the court has to deal with these problems because no one else is addressing them.
