February 2006

Alcohol and Other Drug Strategies teleconference

On Thursday February 23rd, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM, The Alcohol Policy Network is pleased to provide a teleconference on Alcohol and Other Drug Strategies: Examples from provincial (H.E.P.) and municipal (Toronto) initiatives.

Provincial Initiatives
The Health Education Enforcement Partnership (HEP) came about in February 2005 and is responsible for developing a provincial alcohol and drug strategy that is reflective of the needs of Ontario. It is clear that developing a drug strategy for Ontario will require analysis on who is responsible for various alcohol and drug initiatives across the four pillars of health promotion:

• Prevention

• Treatment

• Enforcement

• Harm Reduction

As a result of a joint agreement between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), Reggie Caverson, Senior Health Promotion Consultant with CAMH in the Policy, Education and Health Promotion Division, was appointed as the Ontario Coordinator for this project, and will be presenting at our teleconference on February 23rd.

Her presentation will include a brief description of the efforts at the national level to renew Canada's Drug Strategy through Health Canada and the CCSA, and how these efforts have impacted on provinces and territories across the country. This will include information on why CAMH was asked to sponsor HEP in Ontario as part of their role with the Canadian Executive Council on Addictions (CECA); the importance of building on the unique needs and strengths of Ontario; the need to bring together various lead agencies in each of the sectors to collaborate on the development of a provincial drug strategy; and progress to date.

Municipal Initiatives
The Toronto Drug Strategy: A comprehensive approach to alcohol and other drugs in the City of Toronto was adopted by City Council in December 2005. On February 23rd, Susan Shepherd, Project Manager for the Toronto Drug Strategy, which is led out of Toronto Public Health, will provide a general overview of the Toronto Drug Strategy, with a particular focus on alcohol. Susan will discuss the process used to develop the strategy and highlight "lessons learned" that may be applicable to other municipalities. She will also provide details on the implementation phase of the strategy, including the process and priorities for moving forward.

Stay tuned to the APOLNET Listserv in February for more details and registration information for this teleconference.

University and College Alcohol Policies

Colleges and universities need to implement effective policies that will prevent the misuse of alcohol by students. Alcohol policy components must be accessible to students and provide clear information about laws and the regulations regarding alcohol use. Such policies need to include:

• the minimum legal drinking-age

• standards of conduct

• the consequences for breaking campus rules and laws

• the risk associated with the misuse of alcohol

• counselling or treatment programs

• negative effects of alcohol advertising, and

• an evaluation component that monitors and assesses the policy regularly.

Alcohol is the most commonly used substance by Ontario students, thus it is imperative that communities act to ensure safe use of alcohol through policy development. Alcohol misuse is present in high schools and is even greater in college and university populations. Furthermore, positive interventions such as limiting campus promotions and implementing discounted price caps can have a significant impact on the reduction of alcohol-related harms for the students and the community.

Research suggests that supplying information about rules, laws, campus regulations, and the adverse outcomes of alcohol misuse is not an effective deterrent on its own to reduce the harms associated with alcohol consumption. Policy development needs to be accompanied by education and enforcement.

It is crucial for colleges and universities to have alcohol policy information easily accessible and available. Colleges and universities have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their students. In order to do this, institutions much seek to improve their alcohol policies, ensure all the fundamental components and guidelines are readily accessible, and use effective and consistent enforcement practices where policies are violated.

In the October 2005 edition of Issues to Watch, alcohol policies on campus was featured. As a follow-up to that issue, the Alcohol Policy Network in conjunction with the Association to Reduce Alcohol Promotion in Ontario (ARAPO) has developed a new resource, A Review of Alcohol Policies in Ontario's Universities and Colleges [PDF] to be used when forming a campus alcohol policy or working with those that do. This resource, along with the Let's Take Action on Alcohol Problems in Schools and on Campus [PDF], has numerous sample policies which can be used as templates for those developing alcohol policies, or working with those that do.

Follow-up to Proposed LLA Changes

Certain organizations recently received a request to review current legislation addressing alcohol sales and service in Ontario, focusing their review on public safety, service delivery, and consumer choice. In addition, the public is encouraged to read the Liquor License Act (LLA) guide and submit comments and suggestions via email by February 15, 2006.

Larry Grand, Project Consultant at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has just finished moderating the APOLNET listserv for the month of January on Changes to the Liquor Licence Act. It was accompanied by several background documents and a list of discussion questions. Scan the listserv archive of postings to review what was discussed.