May 2010

 

Alcohol and Violence

The Alcohol Policy Network recently released a report entitled Alcohol and Community-based Violence: A Systematic Review. This report identified the associated effects of alcohol sales on community-based violence as explained in the existing literature. Shortly after APN’s report was released, Dr. Tim Stockwell, Director of the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia (CARBC), released a similar report [PDF] discussing best practices to reduce violence in and around licensed establishments. Dr. Stockwell’s research was primarily intended for the Alberta Roundtables on violence in and around licensed premises, however due to the strength of the report APN believes the content can be utilized for any Canadian province.

Dr. Stockwell’s research was primarily intended as a “what works” for community efforts tackling violence in and around licensed establishments. The report used scholarly databases, key informant interviews, and materials collected over a 20-year period.

The information outlines two key Canadian reports that are the cornerstones of change in reducing alcohol related harm. Dr. Jurgen Rehm’s, The Cost of Substance Abuse in Canada 2002 and The National Alcohol Strategy Working Group’s Recommendations for a National Alcohol Strategy entitled Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm in Canada: Toward a Culture of Moderation. Moreover, Dr. Stockwell discusses five broad Guiding Principles that can be applied when preventing alcohol related violence. The principles are:

1. Managing the retail price of alcohol;
2. Managing intoxication from alcohol;
3. Creating harmonious social environments;
4. Setting clear house rules;
5. Creating credible deterrence.

In addition to the Guiding Principles, Dr. Stockwell includes and rates operator best practices, regulatory best practices, and community-mobilization best practices. Some of the operator best practices include:

• Responsible Beverage Service (RBS);
• Training programs for managers and security staff;
• Strategies for operators to prevent underage drinking.

Some of the regulatory best practices include:

• Raising or maintaining drink prices;
• Raising the legal drinking age;
• Restrictions on happy hours.

Some of the community mobilization best practices include:

• Public alcohol education campaigns;
• Alcohol education in schools;
• Early intervention with youth.

Finally, Dr. Stockwell outlines four overarching challenges community stakeholders will meet when trying to incorporate sustainable evidence to inform change. These challenges are:

1. Alcohol related violence is perceived as a hidden problem and only when the violence hits a “tipping point” will political agents of change acknowledge the seriousness of said harms;
2. Self-regulation and voluntary change by licensed establishments is unlikely to occur;
3. Alcohol-fueled violence is a complex problem and is often compartmentalized by the various community stakeholders who want to address it;
4. Tightening alcohol regulation is harder than relaxing alcohol legislation which is perceived as an economic stimulus.

Dr. Stockwell acknowledges that incorporating change with the challenges above will take a significant amount of energy and resources. His report details out a few suggested stepping stones:

• Introduce accurate and well publicized monitoring;
• Create a credible level of deterrence to increase compliance with relevant laws ;
• Create opportunities and incentives for licensees and staff to participate in violence prevention programs;
• Create opportunities for local communities to have input into licensing issues;
• Increase controls on the physical availability of alcohol in keeping with public opinion;
• Ensure retail prices reflect alcohol content and are in alignment with the cost of living;
• Support a wide range of community mobilization, early intervention and public education strategies.

If the report outlined above interests you, be sure to keep your schedules open on Tuesday, June 29 as Dr. Tim Stockewell of the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia will present the paper in detail. The Alcohol Policy Network invites you to monitor our website and the listserv for more information over the coming weeks.

 

OPHA Think Tank/OPHA Fall Forum

Taking Action on the Built Environment: Building Healthy Public Policy
September 28-30, 2010

The Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) and its partners invite you to be part of a unique event that will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to take action on issues around health and the built environment. The goal this year is to provide a forum for public health professionals and other professionals working on the built environment to establish ideas for moving policy issues forward in their communities.

On September 28th and 29th, join OPHA and its partners to discuss and form actions on built environment policy issues for housing, transportation, recreation & greenspace, food access, and injury/violence prevention. On September 30th, attend the Health Promotion Ontario (HPO) Annual Conference to continue the discussion on food security as it relates to the social determinants of health.

Members of OPHA and potential members are also invited to attend OPHA’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held Tuesday, September 28th at 4:00pm. This event provides a unique opportunity to learn about OPHA’s advocacy activities, new dimensions of growth in the organization, and to exercise your right to debate and vote on the resolutions and position papers being considered for adoption by OPHA.

This year’s conference will be held at the Courtyard Marriott in Downtown Toronto. Please keep visiting OPHA’s conference website for the latest updates and details about all aspects of the conference. Registration information and more details will be available in early June.