www.alkoholpolitik.ch

The Drug Foundation today expressed surprise that the Justice and Electoral Committee recommended only tinkering to the Alcohol Reform Bill, saying that many thousands of submitters had expected much greater improvements to the Bill.
The Committee received an unprecedented 8,822 written submissions, and in-fact had to split themselves in half in order to hear from the more than 352 oral submitters.
“The vast majority of submitters urged the Committee to strengthen the Bill, particularly asking for tougher controls over alcohol advertising and an increase to the price of alcohol, which were measures first recommended by Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s Law Commission report,” said Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/25/11) drugfoundation.org.nz, 08/25/11 Read Full Bill

A large-scale survey was conducted in 2008 in north west England, a region with high levels of alcohol-related harm, during a regional ‚Big Drink Debate‘ campaign. The aim of this paper is to explore perceptions of how alcohol consumption would change if alcohol prices were to increase or decrease.
A convenience survey of residents (>18 years) of north west England measured demographics, income, alcohol consumption in previous week, and opinions on drinking behaviour under two pricing conditions: low prices and discounts and increased alcohol prices (either ‚decrease‘, ’no change‘ or ‚increase‘). … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/24/11) BMC Public Health 2011, 11:664; doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-664

The Philippine government will push a proposal to index taxes on alcohol and tobacco products to inflation that could raise around $1.4 billion in revenues as one of 13 priority bills in Congress this year, President Benigno Aquino said on Tuesday. …
For alcohol products, the bill proposes a uniform rate for three years before the tax is indexed to inflation.
However, the revised alcohol tax still provides for a different tariff on products made using local materials — a provision which the WTO says is discriminatory. … (Source: Alcohol Reports – News, 08/22/11) reuters.com, 08/16/11

Over an average British person’s lifetime, 5,800 pints of beer are consumed, plus 8,700 glasses of wine, 2,900 bottles of cider, 5,808 shots of spirits, 1,452 cocktails, 1,452 glasses of liquor, and 1,452 glasses of champagne – the equivalent of 456 drinks annually. The typical Brit also experiences 726 hangovers over a lifetime. £962 are spent annually on alcohol, or £58,201 ($93,000) by the time they die.
Below are some highlighted statistics from the survey:
The average Brit consumes alcohol at least three nights each week … (Source: Medical News Today, 08/19/11) our online-comment: In this study it is not included, what everybody pays a life time for alcohol-related social costs. We should not forget this.

by Fiona Ryan, Director of Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues.
WE LOVE TO talk about Ireland’s alcohol culture – it allows us to speculate about how we drink and why we drink, without ever actually doing anything about it.
We can engage in romantic notions of the dark Celtic soul, or question if as a nation we just have an addictive personality. In the meantime, one person dies every seven hours from an alcohol-related cause. Alcohol is the biggest killer of young people in Ireland and 100,000 kids – enough to fill Croke Park and then some – are impacted by their parents’ drinking. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/15/11) businessinsider.com, 08/10/11

Setting minimum prices for alcohol could help cut the near 700 million pounds wasted each year tackling its misuse, the health minister has said.
Edwin Poots said the Stormont Executive is still considering its options on the abuse of alcohol.
But his latest comments came after visiting his counterpart in Scotland where minimum pricing is also under debate. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/1/11) belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 07/25/11

We are now called „Alcohol Justice,“ the one and only alcohol industry watchdog. Our laser focus is on the world’s most harmful drug, and the companies that make and market it. This rebranding of Marin Institute reflects our global mission: To hold the industry accountable for the harm alcohol inflicts upon our many diverse communities. We use research, media and organizing to expose the industry’s products and practices, and actively advocate for effective policies such as increasing alcohol prices,restricting youth-oriented products, limiting ubiquitous and inappropriate alcohol advertising, and supporting state alcohol control. (Source: alcoholjustice.org, 07/27/11)Click here to learn more about our new name, „Alcohol Justice.“

… as BBPA reveal Responsibility Deal unit campaign.
A Lords Select Committee report on behaviour change was released today, stating ’nudge‘ approaches alone are not sufficient for achieving population level public health improvements. Launching the report, Committee Chair Baroness Neuberger said a „package of measures“ was needed ranging from nudges to taxes and regulation.
Writing in a BBC report, Neuberger stated:
„There’s no doubt that, when it comes to our health, our environment really matters. But the government must recognise that „nudging“ isn’t the only way to make a difference. Sometimes changing the environment will require something stronger. The move to introduce higher alcohol pricing is a good example of how legislation can be used to change our behaviour by changing our environment. … (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 07/19/11)

Probably yes but there is a bigger picture.
The Australian Government’s decision to raise taxes on ready-to-drink spirit-based beverages (RTDs; “alcopops”) in 2008 caused great controversy. Interest groups have selectively cited evidence to support their points of view.
The alcohol industry cited Victorian data from the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSADS) as evidence that the tax had failed, but closer examination of the data suggests that fewer students are drinking, and fewer are drinking at risky or high-risk levels. Excise data from the first full year after the tax came into effect showed a more than 30% reduction in RTD sales and a 1.5% reduction in total pure alcohol sold in Australia. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/17/11)

The Church of England could threaten to pull its investments from British-listed supermarkets that fail to meet its minimum ethical standards on the sale of alcohol, in an attempt to stem the sale of cheap alcohol and reduce binge drinking.
The Ethical Investment Advisory Group, the investment body that makes recommendations to the Church’s three national investing bodies, said it wants to tighten its policy because of concerns about ‚corporate complicity in the misuse of alcohol, including through inappropriate pricing and promotions.‘ (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/04/11) lse.co.uk, 06/29/11