www.alkoholpolitik.ch

The European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol Monitoring (EUCAM) has delivered a luke warm response to the Responsible Marketing Pact. The pact was trumpeted to be the first time that common standards would be implemented throughout the EU. The standards would protect young people from undue exposure to alcohol and prohibit marketing being directed at minors. The alcohol industry had claimed that self-regulation is working, and should be expanded.

However AMMIE (Alcohol Marketing Monitoring in Europe) at the EUCAM conference in March, warned against mere „window dressing“ and called for an outright ban on advertising. Their research showed that on average each minor in the 5 countries they researched (Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria and Denmark) were exposed to 44 alcohol commercials in 2 months. They noted numerous violations of the 30% rule, whereby advertising should only be allowed where under 30% of the population are minors. In practice, they insist, there is nowhere in Europe where there is a population group consisting of more than 30% minors, meaning that alcohol advertising can go unchecked. …
(Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 05/22/12) EUCAM Newsletter May 2012

Alcohol consumption among Dutch 11 and 13-year-olds has decreased substantially in the past five years. Dutch kids are also the happiest in both Europe and North America.

This is the conclusion of a major international survey into the health and welfare of children between the age of 11 and 15, the results of which were published on Wednesday.

The survey, entitled Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC), shows that young Dutch teenagers drink less, smoke less cannabis and tobacco and engage less often in unsafe sex than most of their peers in the 39 countries covered by the HBSC report. Just five years ago, they were still among the top ten.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 05/10/12) Radio Netherlands, 05/02/12

Three easy ways for a stronger, more just and freer Europe
Europe celebrates today the 62nd anniversary of the Schumann Declaration, the first move towards the European Union, which still faces an unprecedented economic, social and political crisis. Young Europeans and youth organizations are disproportionately exposed to the negative effects of this crisis.
But there are three simple and effective ways towards a stronger, fairer and freer Europe, as the European youth organization Active – sobriety, friendship and peace, through the President Andrea Lavesson is outlining today:

“The first one is stronger youth organizations in Europe to harness their role and power in protecting youth, combating the crisis and achieving the EU2020 targets and in promoting innovation and democracy.” …

“The second one is a new and better EU alcohol strategy to protect children and young people from the tremendous alcohol harm in Europe, to improve the productivity of the EU and to secure the European Social Model.” …

“A new and better EU alcohol strategy will contribute to making Europe more productive, protecting the Social Model and saving and improving the lives of young Europeans,” says Andrea Lavesson.

“And last but not least, the third one is a stronger commitment to making the Human Rights of children and youth in Europe a lived reality in policy making to prevent them from growing up in poverty.” …

(Source: Press Release Active, 05/9/12)

TELL L.A. City Public Safety Committee to Stop Sitting on the Motion to Ban Alcohol Ads on Public Property. Last summer, with your help, we banned alcohol ads from 6,000 bus benches in the City of Los Angeles. Now let’s ban alcohol ads completely from all Los Angeles public property.

Councilmember Richard Alarcón introduced a motion to ban alcohol ads city-wide last year, but the Public Safety Committee is refusing to bring the motion forward.
It’s time to mobilize, and organize to protect our children from „city-authorized“ alcohol ads!

SEND your letter to the L. A. Public Safety Committee Telling them to MOVE THE MOTION to Ban Alcohol Ads from All L.A Public Property!
TAKE ACTION NOW (Source: Alcohol Justice, 04/19/12)

Policy makers must not rely on self-regulation, but rather follow up through more statutory measures to protect the consumers.

Last week, major producers from the alcohol industry together with the World Federation of Advertising presented The Responsible Marketing Pact which scales up self-regulation[1]..

As a response, Civil Society Organisations with diverse backgrounds are now reminding policy makers at European and Member State level about the need for better regulation and co-regulation, and urge the European Commission and Member States officials not to jump on easy solutions in a new EU Alcohol Strategy 2013-2020.

“It cannot be left to the producers of a harmful product to decide how, when and where it will be marketed. Policy makers must not rely on self-regulation, but rather follow up through more statutory measures to protect the consumers. The content of this pact is basically the old ineffective measures of self-regulation in a new package. What we are witnessing are two powerful industries formally coming together to fight regulation- this is alarming”, says Mariann Skar, Secretary General of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance. …
Source: Eurocare.org, 04/25/12)
also: press release Active, 04/25/12)

Conclusion new research: Introduction of a legal ban on alcohol advertising is the only real solution

Young people in Europe are regularly confronted with alcohol advertising on television. New European research shows that the functioning of the so called self-regulation of alcohol marketing does not protect young people against the exposure of alcohol commercials.

This conclusion is in conflict with recent statements of the alcohol industry. This industry claims that self-regulation is functioning perfect and has to be expanded. The AMMIE researchers conclude that only a total ban on alcohol advertising can prevent the harmful impact of alcohol advertising on the drinking levels of young people.

The new research is a part of the AMMIE project (Alcohol Monitoring Marketing in Europe); the project is co-financed by the European Commission and coordinated by the Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy (STAP). The research has been implemented in Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in cooperation with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health in the US.

The summary report of the AMMIE project ‘Commercial promotion of drinking in Europe’ will be presented Thursday the 26th of April at the European Alcohol and Health Forum of the European Commission. …
(Source: EUCAM, Press release, Wednesday 25th of April 2012)

A new online tool from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health determines the extent of exposure to radio alcohol advertisements among young people ages 12 to 20 in 75 different media markets.

This free and user-friendly tool is the first service to provide parents, health departments and other key audiences with access to customizable information on youth exposure to radio alcohol advertising.

„Despite the proliferation of things like smart phones and tablets, radio continues to be a popular source of media among youth,“ said David Jernigan, PhD, CAMY director. „This tool gives users in dozens of cities across the U.S. the ability to determine the scope to which young people in their community are exposed to alcohol marketing.“ … Use the radio tool to measure exposure.
(Source: Google alcohol news, 04/11/12) innovations-report.de, 04/11/12

Tell State Legislators to Vote NO on LB 824!

In early March, the Nebraska Supreme Court confirmed that flavored malt beverages, AKA „alcopops,“ are distilled spirits according to Nebraska law. That wise ruling allows the state to tax alcopops at the $3.75 per gallon spirits rate, which is 12 times higher than the beer tax of 31 cents per gallon.

Increasing the price of alcohol reduces the amount of access young people have to these products, and is one of the most effective policies to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Unfortunately, Nebraska senators immediately went on the defensive and advanced a bill (LB 824) to negate the court’s decision. LB 824 would re-define beer to include alcopops, keep them cheap and widely accessible to youth.

It’s time to tell the senators to place the health and safety of our youth ahead of Big Alcohol’s concerns for profits. It’s time to tell the senators to kill this bill and let the Supreme Court ruling stand. It’s time to tax alcopops as distilled spirits.

Protect Nebraska Youth From Alcopops — Tell State Legislators to Vote NO on LB 824!
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 03/23/12)

Abstract
Aims: To provide an overview of alcoholics attending a socio-ecological treatment programme [Clubs of Alcoholics in Treatment (CATs)] and to identify factors associated with abstinence and self-perceived improvement in lifestyle.

Methods: A national sample of 7522 subjects (76% males and 24% females, mean age 53.2 ± 11.3 years ± SD) attending CATs was evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire completed at a weekly meeting in 2006.

Results: Of participants, >70% reported no alcohol use in the last year and around 90% indicated no use in the previous month, whereas 4% of them declared no alcohol use before club attendance. Abstinence and lifestyle improvement were related positively to the number of years of club attendance but negatively to the presence of other problems in addition to the alcohol-related one. Moreover, being older or female was associated with more likely achievement of abstinence as well as with the perception of a better lifestyle. Finally, attending the club with one or more family members was associated with achievement of better lifestyle.

Conclusion: These data provide an overview of alcoholics attending the CAT programme and are a first step toward developing a surveillance system. In addition, on the basis of this preliminary picture further research (notably longitudinal studies) can be planned considering this method and its effectiveness.
(Source: Alcohol Reports, 02/27/12) oxfordjournals.org, 02/23/12
Comment: I visited one of the first clubs at the beginning of their work in Udine. It was very impressing and I am glad they have such a success over the many years.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest promoter of violent cage fighting events and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), makers of the Bud Light family of beers, are delivering harmful content to millions of youth. The underage viewers are treated to people beating one another to a bloody pulp, brought to them by Bud Light…or is it Blood Light?
Protect Youth, Pull the Plug on Bud Light Ads at UFC Fights

In its 2011 announcement of Bud Light’s UFC sponsorship renewal, ABI boasts that it “will continue to immerse the beer into all areas of the world’s premier mixed martial artsorganization.” This includes a thinly veiled effort to target underage youth with graphic violence and sexually explicit ads. According to UFC president Dana White, „…Our target audience is anywhere from age 17 to 35.“ …
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 02/27/12)