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Alcoholics
and Underage Drinkers-mean profits for the the alcohol industry
according to this report
Eliminating Problem Drinkers and Underage Illegal Alcohol
Consumption (CASA report) shows a loss of
$56.9 billion (49.0 percent) in
consumer expenditures for beer, wine and liquor--a painful loss of
revenue for the alcohol industry.
Alcoholic beverage. Any beverage containing more than one-half
of one percent alcohol by volume.
Why does Control Policy matter?
Alcohol is a "drug" that may be purchased by consumers of the
legal age of majority. The law requires identification for age
verification, yet marketing and distribution by the Alcohol industry
has left the burden of discouraging under age drinking to those
making and enforcing laws in each jurisdiction.
Loop holes, must be sewn up. Alcohol control policies
include ". . .the entire constellation of laws and regulations at
the federal, state, county, and city levels that affect how
alcoholic beverages are manufactured, packaged, distributed, sold,
and consumed (Wagenaar & Farrell, 1989)." These policies can alter
dimensions of the environment that promote overall consumption as
well as hazardous patterns of alcohol use (e.g., drinking and
driving).
Based on research, the cost
factor to state systems, certainly motivates fiscal policy to curb
abuse and addiction. Policy for prevention of costly abuse and
misuse is another clear directive for those working to improve the
quality of life and environment in local communities.
A collaborative effort from
all state, regional and local advocates partnered and strengthened
thru national directives will steer state policy to reflect national
trends, and hopefully to a more healthy, stable, safe community.
National Policy reference:
Under the 21st
Amendment of the United States, the individual states have primary
authority to regulate the distribution and use of alcoholic
beverages. Each state has enacted statutes that govern the
distribution, taxation, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages
within that state, as well as provisions regarding criminal and
civil liability for harms resulting from the consumption of alcohol. States, in turn, may
grant authority to local communities to regulate many areas of
alcohol sales and consumption. The level of regulatory control
delegated to local communities varies, however, by state. In some
states, cities and towns have the option to place a wide range of
controls on the sale and distribution of alcohol. In other states,
state law preempts local control; in other words, the state laws
govern completely and therefore local communities cannot place
controls on liquor licenses that are more strict than the state
statutes.
- Alcohol epidemiology
- is the study of the prevalence, determinants, and prevention
of alcohol use and related problems. Alcohol use is associated
with many public health problems including: traffic crashes,
homicides, suicides, rapes and other assaults, drowning, and
teenage pregnancies.
Polls Show U.S.
support:
Do adults in
the U.S. support laws that regulate the sales and consumption of
alcoholic beverages?
- In general,
most adults are in favor of such laws
- Over 80% of
adults support:
- banning
or restricting consumption of alcohol in public places, such as
in the street or on college campuses
- Bans on
the home delivery of alcohol
- Requiring
people who serve or sell alcohol to be trained in responsible
server/selling practices
-
Increasing alcohol taxes if the funds collected
are used for alcohol treatment/prevention programs.
-
Approximately 40% of adults support:
-
State-ownership of liquor stores
- Increased
alcohol taxes where the use of the funds collected is not
specified
- Bans on
happy hours.
- Although
the majority of adults support most alcohol control policies:
- Heavy
drinkers are less likely than non-drinkers to support alcohol
laws, especially laws that restrict drinking in public places
- Men are
less likely than women to support alcohol laws
- Adults
who are not parents tend to be less supportive of alcohol laws
than those who are parents
- High level
of support for alcohol control policies are found among Democrats
and Republicans, liberals and conservatives
For more
information order publication number
11.6.122:
Wagenaar AC, Harwood EM, Toomey TL, Denk CE, Zander KM. Public
opinion on alcohol policies in the United States: Results from a
national survey. Journal of Public Health Policy
2000;21(3):303-327.
Lobby Power
A Common
Cause Series about the Impact of Big Money in Politics"
Underage consumption of alcohol remains the leading drug problem for
young people — 6.5 times more youth die from alcohol than illegal
drugs. There are still no restrictions on alcohol broadcast
advertisements targeted to young people."
Get more information go to Q&A
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