www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Drinks giant Diageo is to fund alcohol training for 10,000 midwives as part of the Government’s controversial Responsibility Deal. The training programme will be run by the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK (Nofas-UK) to encourage midwives to highlight the risks of drinking during pregnancy.
But the news made the headlines amidst criticism that the alcohol industry be funding such initiatives, with reports from the BBC, Guardian, Independent and The Daily Mail.
Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, said: „It is deeply worrying that alcohol education is being paid for by the drinks industry, as it is then unaccountable and not necessarily based on evidence or public health guidance.“ Professor Ian Gilmore said, „To really make a difference, education and information must be backed-up by tougher action on the price, availability and marketing of alcohol.“ (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 06/13/11)

Evidence from China.
Economic literature in developed countries suggests that demand for alcoholic beverages is sensitive to price, with an estimated price elasticity ranging from −0.38 for beer and −0.7 for liquor. However, few studies have been conducted in developing countries. …
The central implication of this study is, while alcohol tax increases can raise government revenue, it alone is not an effective policy to reduce alcohol related problems in China. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 06/11/11)

A consultation on minimum pricing and other options for Northern Ireland is currently open.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety are seeking views on setting a minimum price per unit of alcohol. A press release and BBC report announced the move earlier this year.
The survey „forms part of the stakeholder consultation process on minimum pricing of alcohol in Northern Ireland and provides an opportunity for comment on plans to crack down on the availability of cheap alcohol.“ It also includes questions on:
* banning ‚below-cost‘ selling of alcohol
* banning sale of alcohol below level of Duty and VAT
* increasing taxation to address the harms of problem drinking
* considerations in relation to introducing a social responsibility levy
Views are sought from everyone. The submission period closes on 26 June 2011. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 06/09/11)

THE cost of some cask wine could quadruple, with Health Minister Nicola Roxon signing off on a plan to develop a nationwide minimum floor price for alcohol. The National Preventive Health Agency has been asked to „develop the concept“ as part of a plan approved by Ms Roxon but yet to be approved by her state counterparts.
The interim chief executive of the agency, Rhonda Galbally, said that while she wasn’t at liberty to reveal everything in the strategic plan approved by Ms Roxon, she was prepared to confirm that it included developing the concept of a uniform alcohol floor price that would apply nationwide. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 06/08/11) theage.com, 06/08/11

Police officers will be out in force throughout June to detect drink and drug drivers across the country, reports the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). A similar 30 day scheme ran last year in which just under 101,000 people were stopped and tested, with 5.6% testing positive or refusing a test. (Source: Alcohol Policy UK, 6/2/11) Also:
Minimum pricing posed to BBC Question Time panel
Trade and industry news
Local Authorities in Scotland could soon be taking measures to ban under 21s from purchasing alcohol from supermarket and off-licenses

The influence of „Big Alcohol“ in the health arena deserves as much scrutiny as Big Pharma and Big Tobacco, especially in light of evidence of bias in funded research, unsupported claims of benefit, and inappropriate promotion and marketing by the alcohol industry, says a new editorial in this week’s PLoS Medicine. The PLoS Medicine editors argue that the statistics about problem drinking are troubling enough, but what also demands more attention and research is the influence of the alcohol industry on health research, government policy, and public perceptions of the harms and benefits of alcohol. … (Source: Medical News Today, 05/31/11)

– says BBPA: European Brewery Convention, Glasgow 2011.
At a major European conference on the brewing industry which opened this morning in Glasgow, a leading industry figure has raised concerns over key aspects of Scottish alcohol policy and called for a new dialogue with the SNP government over key issues.
In the opening keynote session of the 33rd European Brewery Congress & Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Brigid Simmonds OBE, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said:
“The beer and pub trade is worth £1.5 billion to the Scottish economy every year, and 71,000 Scots depend on beer and pubs for work – you might be surprised to know that’s double the number that depend on Scotch Whisky for work, on a comparable basis. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/24/11) beerandpub.com, 5/23/11

Many governments realize the need for effective legislation to reduce the harm from alcohol use. This is also recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. But how to do it? WHO Western Pacific Regional Office has offered a guide.
The purpose of the legislation guide is to assist government agencies and ministries in developing country-level legislation to implement, monitor and enforce effective alcohol policies.
The guide provides advice on approaches to alcohol regulation to support development of effective legislation appropriate to each country. It provides practical advice based on international experience about the implications of legislative options, steps to be taken to implement legislation and best practice on how to enforce legislation and support compliance. …
Order or download the guide from the WHO WPRO web site: Addressing the harmful use of alcohol – a guide to developing effective alcohol regulation (Source: add-resources.org, 5/19/11)

A NEW minimum price for alcohol is likely to become law within a year, after the SNP vowed the measure would be the key priority of its second term in office. The newly re-elected Nationalist administration has confirmed the 45-pence-per-unit minimum-price measure will be in its first legislative programme after it was blocked in the last parliament by opposition parties. Sources suggested the legislation would most likely come into force on 1 April next year. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/17/11) news.scotsman.com, 5/10/11 The Swiss Government pretends that minimum prices are against EU-law. (?)

In a new report entitled The High Cost of Cheap Alcohol, Pam Erickson from the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace examines the public health dangers associated with low-cost alcohol availability. The report „is designed to educate the public about the alcohol regulatory system and how it works. It focuses on one of the most powerful tools available to control alcohol problems: price. Time and again, research has shown that when prices go up, alcohol consumption and its attendant social problems go down.“ (Source: Marin Institute, 5/4/11) Comment: Very interesting history of American alcohol policies.