Home > Issues to Watch > Summer 2010
This is a monthly discussion of "issues to watch" in the field of alcohol policy. Summer 2010
Another Successful Alcohol Policy Forum Attracting over 100 motivated health promotion professionals; the 7th annual Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Forum in March 2010 was a great success. For this event, public health professionals, addiction counselors and policy-makers gathered from across the province to discuss action that needs to be taken based on current research and strategies that address alcohol-related harm. The Forum began with Nancy Langdon of Ottawa Public Health and Chair of the OPHA Alcohol Workgroup, and Dr. Norman Giesbrecht of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health taking a look back at previous Forums. A presentation was provided outlining action steps that followed each Forum, challenges of the day, agenda-setting for public health, and the role of the OPHA Alcohol Workgroup. According to Langdon, Canada and Ontario have made some headway in introducing policies that address the negative impacts of alcohol consumption such as bringing in tougher drunk driving laws and introducing graduated drivers licensing with a zero tolerance for drinking. “There is a lot to be happy about, but at the same time, there is a lot of work to be done,” Langdon said. Dr. Thomas Babor from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine then focused on summarizing the contents of the landmark book Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (second edition, 2010), looking at strategies for minimizing alcohol-related harm, and addressing the role of alcohol consumption in the global burden of disease. Evidence suggests the best way to counter messages about alcohol may not be through public education campaigns, Babor said. In fact, public service announcements can actually arouse young people's interest in booze, he stressed. Instead, Babor noted there are more effective methods of mitigating the negative effects of drinking including setting minimum prices, having a government monopoly control the sale of alcohol, reducing the percentage of alcohol in products, conducting random breathalyzer tests, raising the minimum age required to purchase alcohol, having high government taxes on booze, bringing in graduated drivers' licences with strict alcohol policies, and lowering legal blood alcohol limits for drivers, as reported in InsideToronto.com. Dr. Maristela Monteiro from the Pan American Health Organization followed with an international perspective to the Forum, highlighting the impact of alcohol consumption on the burden of disease in the region of the Americas and discussing the process of developing the WHO global alcohol strategy and Canada’s role in this. Following this, the Ministry of Health Promotion presented along with two health units (Toronto Public Health and the Region of Niagara) who have worked on developing municipal alcohol strategies in their areas. The Forum wrapped up with a panel discussion including Denise DePape from the BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, Andrew Murie from Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, and Dr. Thomas Babor. Each panel member spoke about the “How To's” in developing healthy public policy. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters and discuss next steps with the information via small group discussions. In the evaluations, many participants outlined the value of the Forum including being an aid when preparing letters and presentations in support of policy change. One participant indicated that what was learned at the Forum will aid in “advocating on behalf of public health to stop the privatization of the LCBO”, while another participant indicated that the material presented at the Forum would be used to “encourage the inclusion of alcohol in our municipal drug strategy and work to enhance our alcohol policy”. An extensive evaluation of the Forum has been completed and a three-month follow-up evaluation took place in June. The evaluations will help to improve next year’s Forum while assisting health professionals create and improve alcohol policy going forward. Visit our Forum webpage to retrieve more information on the Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Forum series.
The economics of alcohol can be a complicated area to understand. There are numerous components within the field of alcohol and economics that need to be considered when discussing the transfer of money and alcohol. What is the purpose of tax? How does this relate to booze? What is excise tax and how does it work? What does price elasticity of demand mean? Why is elasticity important? How is price related to alcohol’s harms? These questions and others are fundamental in understanding the effects of pricing policies on alcohol consumption and harm. Additionally, international reviews of the research evidence consistently show that pricing policies are among the most effective tools for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the harms from alcohol (Babor et al., 2003; Toumbourou et al., 2007; Anderson et al., 2009). These policies increase fiscal benefits by generating substantial revenue for governments and reduce harms by helping control consumption at the population level (Thomas G., Stockwell T., and Reist, D., 2009) If you are interested in learning more about how the field of economics and public health converge, we invite you to attend a free web conference sponsored by the Alcohol Policy Network scheduled for Thursday, September 23, 2010. During this web conference, Dr. Gerald Thomas of the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse will be presenting on The Economics of Alcohol Control Policy in Canada. Dr. Thomas’ presentation — while recognizing alcohol enjoys special cultural and economic significance in Canada — will address several economic issues related to alcohol control including:
We look forward to having you join this important public health topic. Registration information can be found on our Teleconferences webpage.
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