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SAN FRANCISCO, CA (APRIL 21, 2011) – Alcohol industry watchdog Marin Institute applauded 17 state attorneys general and San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera for their quick action to stop the latest supersized alcopop – Blast by Colt 45.
„State law-enforcers heard the national outcry,“ said Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director of Marin Institute. “Supersized alcopop Blast is too big, too potent and marketed to youth.”
The sickly sweet, 12% alcohol fruity-flavored beverage is sold in 23.5 oz. cans, which the attorneys general deemed “impossible to drink responsibly.” Marin Institute had mounted a petition campaign before the product’s official release on April 5, targeting the Metropoulos family – new owners of Colt 45 parent Pabst Brewing Company. Activists drew public attention to the dangerous brew and its exploitative viral marketing to young fans of hip-hop/rap star Snoop Dogg, the spokesperson and public face of the new product.
Minister Paul Scott, of Durham, NC-based Messianic Afrikan Ministry said, “We must stop these corporations from using the beautiful art of Hip Hop to destroy young minds. Music should instead be used to strengthen them.” … (Source: Marin Institute, 4/25/11)

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive and well funded global response to the activities of transnational corporations (TNCs) which are increasing global demand for alcohol by means of sophisticated supply and marketing techniques, and to the TNCs’ front organizations which are working to impede the development of effective policy.
Alcohol-related harm is a global issue requiring a strong global response. While some brands of alcohol retain local and national imagery, the reality, particularly for spirits and beer, and increasingly for wine, is very different. These are now the output of enormous transnational corporations, which for the past two decades have engaged in a process of consolidation and expansion, with the result that the global alcohol market is now dominated by a handful of large corporations. (by Sally Casswell, Auckland, one of the leading public health specialists on alcohol.) Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/2/11) onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Two barmen from the Irish Republic are due to go on trial for the manslaughter of a British man who died from acute alcohol intoxication. The landmark prosecution against Gary Wright and Aidan Dalton will begin in County Tipperary on Wednesday.
They are charged with unlawfully killing a guest at the Hayes Hotel in Thurles on 1 July 2008.
It is the first case of its kind under the liquor liability laws in Ireland. In England it is an offence to ‚knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk‘ but is punishable by a fine only. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 5/4/11) bbc.co.uk, 5/3/11

-and why its roots must be cut in other ways
BBC London has published a statistics showing that the number of London teenagers going to hospital with alcohol-related injuries has risen by 40% in the time of 2002 to 2007.
Doubtless a number that forces the British government to act, in order to combat teenage drinking. Their modest proposal lies in raising the legal drinking age to 21. Will older teenagers really behave in a more mature way than the kids of today?
Perhaps you should realize the root of all evil before you can come to a conclusion that definitely helps these pitiful teenagers.
Of course, there are many young people enjoying the taste of alcohol on a party, sometimes more boisterous, sometimes less.
All in all, alcohol is just an addition and not necessarily a forerunner of getting hammered. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 5/1/11) hausaufgaben-forum.net, 4/29/11 our Online-Comment: I find it positive that somebody takes up this question as one of several possibible measures in order to reduce alcohol problems in London or anywhere.
The question of the age limit is being discussed too in the USA, they have 21 and in News Zealand where it was changed from 21 to 18.
They main medical reason to have 21 as limit is the fact that the brain is not fully developed until 25. The risk of damaging the brain is high and there are many studies which proof it.
Whenever a government or a parliament decides a law it only makes sense when it is possible to push it through. That means it needs a big acceptance. This age limit would need a big acceptance by the adults who want the law but also by the teenagers who are concerned. And that is the main problem. As long as the society is not willing to take responsibility and show an other behavior in drinking and reduce the total amount of alcohol consumption, the young people will not see the necessity of changing their behavior either.
What the government could do in order to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol related harm is very clear since the World Health Organization has accepted the Resolution on a global alcohol strategy in May 2010, signed by the British Government as well. Instead it cooperates with the alcohol industry and makes the problem even worse.
It is not necessary to drink to become an adult person. I know hundreds of personalities with good characters who never drank alcohol, I should say it makes you stronger if you can say no thanks and you will see who is worth to be your friend.

Attorneys general from 24 states have asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to do more to shield teenagers from alcohol advertising. A letter, written by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and signed by colleagues from 23 other states, proposes a three-step plan to regulate teens’ exposure to alcohol ads, the Deseret News reports. (Source: Join Together, 04/29/11)

So Friday is the big day. In a highly anticipated wedding, not only in the United Kingdom but the world, there is some controversy if pubs and drinking establishments will be allowed to stay open longer and be a bit lax on the rules in the UK. Some will and some won’t as the nation prepares for a four day Bank Holiday where drinking is expected to go up a notch.
Early responses from the 44 licensing boards north of the Border show some are refusing to get in line with plans in England and Wales to award additional drinking time to pubs on Friday, April 29 and the following weekend. … (Source: Medical News Today, 04/28/11) Comment by Active: The Boozification of the Royal wedding. About Grownups who don’t know how to party:
Today is the big day. Media frenzy is at its height and people’s expectations are on their peak when the highly anticipated Royal wedding in London, UK will take place. But as Britain prepares for the festivities, there’s not only controversy about wedding dresses, wedding date, etiquette and so on. There is also some controversy if pubs and bars should or should not be allowed to open longer and if it should be allowed to be “lax on the rules”.
“The world doesn’t need more booze, Europe doesn’t need more booze and Britain surely doesn’t need more booze”, says Andrea Lavesson, who is the President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace, and continues: “Every time there is a big event, we hear these calls for a suspension of existing rules, so that grownups could use more alcohol. But more alcohol means more violence, more road accidents, more suffering and deaths. And all that certainly doesn’t belong to festive occasions like today.” …

South African media’s indecision to support alcohol advertising ban could be linked to the fact that media companies stand to lose huge revenues if the legislation were to come into effect, one media analyst charged this week. Shepherd Mpofu, of Wits University’s Department of Media Studies, said there is no logical reason why the media have to support a move that will have a negative consequence on them. …It was reported last week that the media have agreed to support the proposed ban, but that statement has since been denied and corrected by the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF), which confirmed that it will instead throw its weight behind the campaign against alcohol abuse, as it does not have a position on the proposed alcohol advertising ban.
… „The government has a right to be worried about these effects. Crime is increasing, and the spread of sexual transmissible diseases, poor work output, poor performance at school and a lot of other societal malfunctions are just some of the few effects of alcohol abuse.“
The Soul City Institute insists that an independent and vibrant media is uniquely poised to unpack and critically interrogate the role of alcohol advertising and marketing, and shape the public debate around alcohol-related harm reduction.
Mpofu said: „If the media were to play a responsible role in society, then there is every reason to support the ban on alcohol advertising. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/25/11) bizcommunity.com, 04/19/11

The politics of drinking.
Two and a half years ago I sat down to write a history of the pub industry since the 1989 Beer Orders. Trouble is, the bloody thing keeps moving. I can’t hold it down. I can see why historians write about things that happened in the distant past now, things that have ossified into something stable you can get a grip on.
Pub industry history has taken another lurch in the last few days with the conclusion of Punch Taverns’ strategic review. It’s just one company, but it’s a big deal. The end of an era in some ways. … (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 04/26/11) philmellows.com, 03/25/11

Calling the new fruity alcoholic drink Blast by Colt 45 “binge-in-a-can,” 17 attorneys general are asking the drink’s maker, Pabst Brewing Co., to stop marketing the beverage to underage drinkers and to significantly reduce the number of servings of alcohol in each can.
The drink, being promoted by rapper Snoop Dogg, comes in a colorful can containing 23.5 ounces, with an alcohol content of 12 percent—more than most cans of beer, CNN reports. (Source: Join Togerther, 04/22/11)

Recommendations to reduce harm
This research project seeks to examine the impact of white cider on dependent drinkers. It examines the history, production and taxation of white cider, and considers the implications for future taxation, health and homelessness policies. (Quelle: Alcohol Policy UK, 04/21/11)