www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Active urges for more coherent strategies to stop the spread of HIV/ AIDS.
Active – sobriety, friendship and peace commemorates the World AIDS Day by sending our compassion to millions of victims and by urging decision makers to do more in fighting HIV/ AIDS.
The European Commission announced two things on the eve of World AIDS Day: a 10% increase in contributions, spending €1.3 billion to fight AIDS as well as a stronger effort to improve “early detection” allowing better and earlier treatment of the disease.
“Our members welcome the effort to step up action. But spending money is not enough. Improving testing is not enough. What we need is a coherent approach to fighting the AIDS epidemic. We want an effort to preventing HIV infections. That means that the EU, national governments as well as development NGOs need to take into consideration the role of alcohol,” according to Andrea Lavesson, President of Active.
The link between alcohol and the spread of HIV/ AIDS has been long known. But alcohol’s role in the AIDS epidemic continues to be neglected. Both in 2008 in Cape Town and in 2009 at the WHO expert conference in Stockholm alcohol’s role in the AIDS epidemic were on the agenda and the picture of the reviews became clear: Alcohol use increases risk taking in both injection drug use and sexual intercourse; it also increases the number of different sexual partners; the disease develops much faster in infected persons who drink. Alcohol weakens the immune system. …(Source: Press release Active, 12/01/10) ActiveHIVday2010

Three federal agencies — including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — recently acted in concert to halt the sale and distribution of caffeinated alcoholic drinks such as Four Loko and Joose. Agency officials made their decisions based on research into the effects of combining caffeine and alcohol, and several recent incidents linked to the beverages where individuals (mostly young people) have been hospitalized or killed.
In response, David L. Rosenbloom, who directs Join Together, published an editorial in The New York Times arguing that caffeine isn’t the only problem with sweetened high-alcohol drinks. Rosenbloom pointed out three looming concerns: … (Source: Join Together, 11/30/10)

Violence against women is huge problem in European lives.
November 25th was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and we have read several
press releases from different civil society organization. Yesterday. Many organizations, not least the United
Nations, have tried over the years to raise awareness about the problem that violence against women creates
for societies. After all already in 1999 did the General Assembly of the UN designate the 25th of November to
be this special day.
“Also many of our members have used this day over the years to raise awareness,” says Andrea Lavesson, the
President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace. “However, we have to be honest and face the fact that violence
against women doesn’t make it into the headlines. Individual cases might make it into tabloids but media
coverage of this paramount societal problem is non-existent.”
As a matter of fact, almost 25% of all women in Europe have experienced physical violence at least once during
their adult lives. More than one-tenth of European girls and women have suffered sexual abuse. … (Source: violenceagainst womenPRESS RELEASE
Press contact: Maik Duennbier, alcoholpolicy@activeeurope.org, 26th of November 2010)

New EUCAM trend report: alcohol portrayal in popular movies This trend report describes the size of alcohol portrayal in movies that have been most visited in cinemas in 27 European countries in 2009. Most of these movies are seen by numerous European adults as well as minors after release in Europe. The volume and content of alcohol portrayal in
these movies give a first indication of the importance of alcohol portrayal in movies as a marketing tool by the alcohol industry in Europe. (Source: EUCAM, 11/24/10)

The director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that a proposal to reorganize the federal government’s major research agencies on substance abuse and addictions into a single entity „makes scientific sense,“ and has outlined a planning process to create a new Institute for „substance use, abuse, and addiction research and related public health initiatives.“
In a November 18 message sent to NIH employees and in a press release issued the same day, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., said a new single Institute would „enhance NIH’s efforts to address the substance abuse and addiction problems that take such a terrible toll on our society.“ … (Source: Join Together, 11/22/10)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told the manufacturers of seven caffeinated alcoholic beverages Wednesday that their drinks are a “public health concern” and can’t stay on the market in their current form.
The move follows a year-long review by the FDA, which gave the companies 15 days to either reformulate their products or face possible seizure under federal law, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the agency’s principal deputy commissioner. Experts have said the caffeine used in the beverages can mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 11/18/10) ksfm.radio.com, 11/17/10

It took more than $2 million dollars in campaign donations, but Big Alcohol emerged victorious at the Massachusetts ballot box: 52% of voters approved Measure One to repeal the state’s 6.25% sales tax on alcoholic beverages. This narrow majority will cost the state of Massachusetts more than $100 million in revenue, while simultaneously increasing the costs of alcohol-related harm that the state must cover...Read More.

Marin Institute has launched its third annual, countrywide, anti-alcohol-advertising contest at FreeTheBowl.com. This year’s theme – “Free the Bowl from Beer Ads” – seeks original, 30-60 seconds long, “performance art” counter-beer-ads from youth and young adults ages 10-20. Deadline for entry is January 24th, and the winners will receive cash prizes up to $1000! To learn more, watch the video.

While applauding expected actions by the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission against dangerous alcoholic energy drinks, Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, called for strong state action as well.
In the wake of increased media attention to the grave risks of combining caffeine with high-alcohol content, states have taking swift stands. In the past 2 weeks alone, four states – Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington, and New York— have shown leadership by banning the products or suspending their sale, while many more states are planning similar actions. …
“State-level product bans will continue to be necessary to get the products off of store shelves,” explained Michele Simon, Marin Institute’s research and policy director and co-author of the 2007 report. “States are the primary regulators of alcoholic beverages and have full authority to ban alcoholic energy drinks whether by regulatory or legislative action, or through attorney general enforcement,” Simon added. (Source: Marin Institute, 11/17/10)

…FDA Tells Drinks Makers
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has told four drinks companies that adding caffeine to malt alcoholic drinks is an „unsafe food additive“. The FDA Warning Letters added that federal law allows for further action, including confiscation of malt alcoholic beverages with caffeine added. These drinks are a public health concern, the FDA wrote in a communiqué.
The FDA says it looked at studies and peer-reviewed documents about the consumption of alcohol mixed with caffeine, as well as talking to toxicologists, neuropharmacologists, emergency room doctors and epidemiologists. It also examined data provided by drinks makers. Laboratory analyses of alcoholic drinks with caffeine added were also carried out independently by the FDA. (Source: Medical News Today, 11/17/10)