www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Our e-mail letter:

Dear English speaking reader, dear friends,

I am glad to send you examples of the new entries on my website. See the website for more entries.
After modernising the website we had to alter the look of this newsletter too. We have split the articles in two separate language newsletters, German and English. We hope to meet your requirements. It is now much shorter and better to read. Anyhow we are willing to improve it when you give us a feedback with proposals.
Please check, if you have included our address in your list of accepted addresses that your SPAM-filter doesn’t exclude our newsletter.
If you shouldn’t like to receive this newsletter anymore or wish to order a copy for someone else, please just send a short e-mail to: htmeyer(at)alkoholpolitik.ch
Kind regards
Yours Hermann T. Meyer

——————————————
972 articles in 82 categories and with 2788 main expressions since the beginning of the year.
——————————————

Dear reader,

>From last month we have to report some very interesting but also sad information: Researchers from the Curtin University of Technology in Australia have uncovered some of the secret workings and concerns of the international alcohol industry.
According to a CASA-report US federal, state and local governments spend almost half a trillion dollars every year — almost 11 percent of their total budgets as a result of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse and addiction. The worst part is that, for federal and state spending, about 95% of that money is spent “Shoveling Up” the mess created by a failure to provide enough money for prevention and treatment.
The Danish Government has disputed the recommendations from the Prevention Commission’s conclusions – even before the report was published. It is not alone. In Germany and Switzerland we have the same situation. There is not much hope, that governments will become more sensitive on alcohol politics when the sixty-third World Health Assembly next year will consider a Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
We inform about an Alcohol advertising on television debate in Switzerland regarding the impact of the EU legislation on alcohol advertising on Swiss TV. This relates to the Media agreement between Switzerland and the EU where Switzerland is associated as a full partner in all the activities in the MEDIA programme (Swiss professionals in the cinema and audiovisual sectors are able to benefit from the same incentives as their colleagues in the EU countries). After some tactical games the parliament has accepted the agreement including wine and beer ads on Swiss TV. This sort of corruption is very common in one of the oldest democracies where it is not necessary to declare the sources of party income.
One point is mostly forgotten when discussing alcohol advertising on tv: Programme directors will much easier broadcast alcoholfriendly programmes. And by the time they will become vulnerable to blackmailing as they depend on the income from the alcohol industry.
It’s not surprising addiction scientists are calling for tighter regulation of alcohol advertising, as new research shows that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect impressionable children and youth from exposure. (But politicians don’t care.)

The next newsletter is due on July 31 2009

Have an interesting reading.

Kind regards
Yours Hermann T. Meyer
———————————————–

(Newsletter in German)
————————————————
TOP NEWS

“Big Alcohol” agenda exposed. 6/5/09
Researchers from the Curtin University of Technology in Australia have uncovered some of the secret workings and concerns of the international alcohol industry. …
(Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09)

USA: See what your state spends. Tell your elected officials. 5/29/09
According to a report CASA issued this morning, (see our entry yesterday) federal, state and local governments spend almost half a trillion dollars every year — almost 11 percent of their total budgets — as a result of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse and addiction. The worst part is that, for federal and state spending, about 95% of that money is spent “Shoveling Up” the mess created by a failure to provide enough money for prevention and treatment. … (Source: Join Together, Take Action! 5/29/09)

Social Cost on Substance Abuse in USA. 5/28/09
NEW CASA* REPORT FINDS FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SPEND ALMOST HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ADDICTION. … (Source: CASA Report press release, 5/28/09)

Online Feature Helps States Charge for Harm to Raise Revenue. 5/20/09
Marin Institute has released the country’s first online alcohol tax and fee calculator to assist lawmakers looking for new revenue. … available at http://www.MarinInstitute.org/ .

GLOBAL

US Senate Votes to Impose U.S. Regulation on Tobacco. 6/12/09
“The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to impose federal regulation on cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, passing a landmark bill to empower the Food and Drug Administration to control products that eventually kill half their regular users. (Source: Harvard World Health News, 6/11/09) The New York Times, 6/11/09 Comment: What about alcohol regulation?

MADD, Century Council Split Over Drunk Driving Penalties. 6/12/09
Clashing over penalties for first-time drunk driving offenses, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has severed its relationship with the alcohol-industry funded Century Council. (Source: Join Together, 6/10/09)

Danish Government ignores the recommendations. 6/5/09
In 2008, the Danish government set up an independent Health Promotion and Prevention Committee with one objective: to extend the life of Danish citizens by 3 years over the next 10 years. The Committee came forward with 52 concrete proposals on how Danish lives can be extended by three years.
A number of these proposals dealt with alcohol policy. … The Government has, however, disputed the recommendations from the Prevention Commission’s conclusions – even before the report was published. …(Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09)

Alcohol advertising on television debate in Switzerland. 6/5/09
In Switzerland an interesting debate around the impact of the EU legislation on alcohol advertising on TV has taken place in recent weeks. This relates to the Media agreement between Switzerland and the EU where Switzerland is associated as a full partner in all the activities in the MEDIA programme (Swiss professionals in the cinema and audiovisual sectors are able to benefit from the same incentives as their colleagues in the EU countries). This agreement requires Switzerland to amend its broadcasting legislation in order to comply with the ‘Audiovisual Media Services Directive’ with regard to the law applicable to advertising. Consequently, advertising on TV by foreign channels (directed at Switzerland) will not be regulated by Swiss law but by a national law of the State from which the channel is being broadcasted. This required the Swiss Parliament to make changes in the current national legislation by November this year. (The debate is now going on. The National Council (big chamber) has voted in favour and the Federal Council (small chamber) has voted against alcohol advertising on tv. Now they have to work out a compromise.)(Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09) (This was our contribution)

The Sixty-second World Health Assembly. 6/3/09
On 22 May 2009 The Sixty-second World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA 62.14, Reducing health inequities through action on the social determinants of health. …With the close of the sixty-second World Health Assembly, one year is left before the sixty-third World Health Assembly will consider a Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. (Source: NGO Alliance for a Global Strategy on Alcohol, 6/2/09)

Alabama, USA, Legalizes Stronger Beer. 5/28/09
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has approved legislation allowing beer with higher alcohol content to be sold in restaurants, bars and some retail stores. The legislation raises the legal alcohol limit on beer from 6 percent to 13.9 percent by volume, … (Source: Join Together, 5/27/09)

USA: Beer Tax Eyed to Pay for Healthcare Reform. 5/27/09
Senate lawmakers are looking at raising the federal tax on beer and soft drinks as part of a funding package for national healthcare reform, which could cost the nation up to $1.5 trillion over 10 years. (Source: Join Together, 5/26/09) (with our comment)

Champions League Final in Rome with alcohol restrictions. 5/26/09
Local authorities in Rome have ordered alcohol restrictions in the city and on public transport to help curb trouble at Wednesday’s Champions League final. … (Source: Google Alkohol Alert, 5/26/09) news.bbc.co.uk/sport1, 5/25/09

GAPA Chairman receives “Lifetime Achievement Award. 5/22/09
During the Fourth National Conference on Alcohol organised by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation in Bangkok in December 2008 a special award from the Royal Thai Government was given to Derek Rutherford, we just learned from the new “>THE GLOBE, where we can read the citation given by Professor Udomsilp Srisangnam. Our hearty congratulations to our friend Derek!

THE GLOBE, Issue 1, 2009. 5/22/09
On the cover of this issue: * GAPA Chairman receives “Lifetime Achievement Award”. Also in this issue:
* Editorial. Advocacy for The Global Alcohol Strategy – The Task for NGOs
* Progress on Global Alcohol Strategy etc. THE GLOBE is available online here.

New Jersey, USA, Launches Campaign for Beer Tax Hike. 5/20/09
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-New Jersey (NCADD-NJ) launched a new advocacy and media campaign, which includes a proposal for a five-cent excise tax increase on beer to raise $7.5 million for addiction treatment. (Source: Join Together, 5/19/05)

European Alcohol and Health Forum. 5/20/09
# Health determinants: European Alcohol and Health Forum
Fourth plenary meeting, Brussels, 11 March 2009 Summary report, presentations
# Health determinants: European Alcohol and Health Forum
5th meeting of the Task Force Marketing Communication, Brussels, 10 March 2009 Summary report, presentations

RESEARCH

Selfregulation In Alcohol Advertising Not Working. 6/12/09
Ads Target Younger Drinkers. Addiction scientists are calling for tighter regulation of alcohol advertising, as new research shows that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect impressionable children and youth from exposure. (Source: Medical News Today, 6/11/09)

Parents Should Choose Zero Tolerance Alcohol Policy. 6/12/09
Restaurants in Germany legally sell alcohol to teenagers after their sixteenth birthdays and French children drink wine with dinner at an early age, but U.S. parents … should be careful — it may increase the likelihood that their children binge drink in college. (Source: Medical News Today, 6/11/09)

Health Insurance Firms Hold Billions in Tobacco Investments. 6/10/09
Health and life insurance firms in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom hold at least $4.4 billion in investments in companies that manufacture tobacco products (Source: Join Together, 6/9/09) (with our comment)

Pregnant women’s attitudes towards alcohol consumption. 6/6/09
Conclusions: Pregnant women wished to take responsibility for their own health and make choices based on informed advice. In order to do so, they require clear and consistent advice about safe levels of drinking from policy makers and health professionals. … (Source: BMC Public Health,6/5/09)

Parents and initiation of alcohol use by sixth graders. 6/5/09
Association of parents’ alcohol use and family interaction with the initiation of alcohol use by sixth graders: A preliminary study in Taiwan. … (Source: BMC Public Health, 6/4/09)

Protecting communities through action on alcohol sales. 6/5/09
Alcohol Concern’s new report: The Price is Right: protecting communities through action on alcohol sales.
This new report investigates the relationship between the price of alcohol, consumption levels and alcohol-related harms and calls for a mandatory code of practice to be introduced to regulate the retail drinks industry. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09) copy of the report

Data map of trans-European surveys on alcohol. 6/5/09
As its commitment to the European Commission Alcohol and Health Forum, IAS (Institute of Alcohol Studies) has created a Data Map of English language, trans-European surveys that include questions about alcohol consumption and related matters. Like the UK Data Map which preceded it, the European Data Map is intended as a resource for researchers with an interest in alcohol issues at the European Union level. This ‘data map’ is a first attempt to map out all the publicly available data on alcohol in the EU. (Source: Eurocare Newsletter April/May 09) EU Data Map

New Eurocare report on Alcohol market trends. 6/5/09
Asia leads the way. As some companies continue to see stagnation and falling sales in Western Europe, their main focus has now shifted to the emerging markets – in particular, Asia and Russia but also Eastern Europe.

Sexual Crimes and Knockout Drugs. 6/2/09
Drug-facilitated sexual crimes are increasing. The Bonn Institute for Forensic Medicine has recorded that the number of examinations on the use of intoxicants in sexual offences within their catchment area increased 10-fold between 1997 and 2006. (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106 (20): 341-347). (Source: Medical News Today, 6/1/09)

Study Redefines Binge Drinking For Children And Adolescents. 5/30/09
The criteria used to assess blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and binge drinking behaviors in children and adolescents should be based on pediatric rather than adult physiology, … (Source: Medical News Today, 5/29/09)

Surfing under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. 5/29/09
Surfing under the influence of drugs or alcohol are two of the prime dangers facing surfing enthusiasts, according to information presented today at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle. Other factors include wave height, board length and interactions among surfers. (Source: Medical News Today, 5/28/09)

A Person’s High Or Low Response To Alcohol. 5/26/09
A Person’s High Or Low Response To Alcohol Says Much About Their Risk For Alcoholism.
Someone who has a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, meaning relatively little reaction to alcohol, has a higher risk for developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). … (Source: Medical News Today, 5/25/09)

Poor Birth Outcomes Increased By Lower Legal Drinking Age. 5/24/09
Amid renewed calls to consider reducing the legal drinking age, a new University of Georgia study finds that lower drinking ages increase unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young people. … The conclusion is: The drinking age should be where it is. (Source: Medical News Today, 5/23/09)

Communities Profit from Nonprofit Advocacy, Study Finds. 5/18/09
A new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) found that North Carolina residents received $89 in benefits for every $1 that foundations invested in advocacy, organizing and civic-engagement efforts by 13 local nonprofits. (Source: Join Together, 5/15/09)

Youths Use Drink Labels To Choose. 5/16/09
Youths Use Drink Labels To Choose Strongest Drink At Lowest Cost, in Australia.
Contrary to the industry’s position that visible drink labels will promote responsible drinking, young people are, instead, using these visible standard drink labels to increase or even maximize the amount of alcohol they consume at the lowest cost possible. (Source: Medical News Today, 5/15/09)