www.alkoholpolitik.ch

The Coalition to Ban Alcohol Ads from Public Property organized a lively grassroots rally in Los Angeles City Hall Plaza this morning to send a message to the L.A. Board of Public Works that promoting alcohol on city-owned bus benches was a really bad idea. The Board heard the concerns and agreed by asking for a full ban on all alcohol ads in the new contract. The contractor, Martin Outdoor Media, LLC quickly agreed. There will be no alcohol ads on 6,000 L.A. city-owned bus benches. This will reduce youth exposure to messages that are feeding an epidemic of underage alcohol consumption and harm. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 06/13/11) prnewswire.com, 06/10/11

Our “Alcohol’s harm to others” conference took place on 3 June in Edinburgh. Around 100 delegates attended to hear from expert speakers and workshop leaders on the impact of excessive drinking on people other than the drinker, with a particular focus on children and young people.
Presentations can be downloaded below and the conference report will be available soon. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 06/10/11)

Eighth plenary meeting of the European Alcohol and health Forum, Brussels, 8 April 2011 – Summary report available
Released 06 June 2011
European Alcohol and Health Forum – List of members updated
Released 24 May 2011
8th meeting of the Committee on National Alcohol Policy and Action, Luxembourg, 1-2 March 2011 – Summary report and presentations available
(Source: EU, 06/06/11)

Lunch Seminar, Hosted by MEPs Anna Hedh (S&D) and Marian Harkin (ALDE), European Parliament (Brussels)- A3E-2Tuesday 21 June 2011 12h00 – 14h30
Alcohol is one of the most heavily marketed products on our shelves.
Young people are an important target audience for the alcohol industry and they are exposed to unprecedented levels of sophisticated marketing, from mass media advertising to sponsorship of events, product placement, internet, merchandise, social networks etc.
Alcohol marketing has a powerful impact on young people’s drinking behavior and undercut the efforts by public health authorities to reduce harmful drinking among youth.
The speakers will analyze the scientific evidence on the cumulative impact of alcohol marketing and will present the results of two recent European projects on how to better regulate the content and volume of marketing in order to protect young people.
Please click here to register (People who DO NOT have a pass to the European Parliament need to register before 14 June 2011).
If you need any further information please contact Eurocare’s office at ruth.ruiz(at)eurocare.org or 02 736 39 76.

8th meeting of the Committee on National Alcohol Policy and Action, Luxembourg, 1-2 March 2011 Summary report and presentations available:
http://ec.europa.eu/health/alcohol/events/ev_20110301_en.htm (Download very slow, dates maybe too big.)

The European Week Against Cancer is back!
Between 25 and 31 May each year organizations in Europe will join forces to identify ways to prevent cancer. Under the leadership of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and the European Partnership Action Against Cancer, the European Week Against Cancer (EWAC) will give new impetus to cancer prevention and healthy lifestyles in Europe by promoting the European Code Against Cancer. “We’re really glad that the EWAC is back,” says Andrea Lavesson, president of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace, a European youth organization. “And we support the leadership of ECL in its efforts to prevent cancers because we know that around 40% of all cancer cases could be prevented, if screening policies and prevention methods were improved and if Europeans would lead healthier lifestyles.”
Every year more than 3 million Europeans are diagnosed with cancer, making cancer the most common cause of death in Europe after heart disease. Over the years evidence has been accumulated by scientists from all over the world clearly showing that the use of alcohol increases the risk of cancer. The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of cancers of the mouth, larynx, breast, liver and colorectum. Thus the European Code Against Cancer 1 states that ‘If you drink alcohol, whether beer, wine or spirits, moderate your consumption to two drinks per day if you are a man or one drink per day if you are a woman’. However ”even these levels incur a certain amount of risk, it is important that the general public, policy makers and alcohol producers are aware of the risks and do everything they can to minimize them,” says Emma Woodford from European Cancer Leagues. … (Source: Press Release activeeurope.org, 5/25/11)

The consumption of alcohol makes a significant contribution to alcohol related harm globally. In emerging markets and among younger groups increased consumption is apparent. Effective policy is not implemented as widely as is needed. A concerted effort in controlling alcohol related harm is greatly needed and will involve multiple partners, including academia, civil society organizations and government bodies. Global cooperation can play a significant role in supporting and complementing worldwide national and local actions.
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011 is jointly organized by government, intergovernmental and the NGO sector. The Thai Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation are co hosts of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011. The conference will mark an important milestone for global alcohol control efforts following on from the endorsement of the WHO Global Strategy on Alcohol in 2010. The conference will bring together leaders from all over the world who are committed to working towards the development and implementation of effective alcohol policy free from commercial influence. It will provide an opportunity for policy makers, advocates, academics, and campaigners to share and exchange their knowledge and experience. The conference will also be a platform for developing a truly global network and for discussing future efforts at the global level to reduce problems from alcohol. (Conference Website)

The consumption of alcohol makes a significant contribution to alcohol related harm globally. In emerging markets and among younger groups increased consumption is apparent. Effective policy is not implemented as widely as is needed. A concerted effort in controlling alcohol related harm is greatly needed and will involve multiple partners, including academia, civil society organizations and government bodies. Global cooperation can play a significant role in supporting and complementing worldwide national and local actions. …
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011 is jointly organized by government, intergovernmental and the NGO sector. The Thai Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation are co hosts of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/9/11)

Prom and graduation should be a time of pure joy for high school seniors and the people who love them. But every year, this season can also be a time of sadness for too many families. That’s because along with these important milestones come many opportunities for underage drinking and driving.
Each year, communities across the country mourn the deaths of teenagers involved in a car crash that resulted from underage drinking at a prom or graduation party. A survey of more than 2,500 high school juniors and seniors conducted in 2010 found that 90 percent believed their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night and 79 percent believe the same is true of graduation night. However, only 29 percent of teens say that driving on prom night is very dangerous; 25 percent believe the same is true for graduation night. … (Source: Join Together, 5/3/11)

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.” …