Balance Consumer Interests and Health and Safety Considerations

Identifying and applying best policy practices helps balance competing interests of industry, public health, government and consumers; however, determining the optimal set of policies for a specific jurisdiction is complicated. Governments must assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of policies to minimize, and potentially through taxation, mitigate the cost of alcohol-related social and health harms while also ensuring low-risk drinkers have fair and equitable access to alcohol.

Evidence for the Effectiveness of Minimum Pricing of Alcohol: A Systematic Review and Assessment Using the Bradford Hill Criteria for Causality

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  1. Patterns of Change in Implementation of State Alcohol Control Policies in the United States, 1999–2011
    Nelson, TF, Xuan, Z, Blanchette, JG, Heeren, TC and Naimi, TS. Addiction. 110(1), 59-68.
    Date: 2015
  2. Relationships Between Minimum Alcohol Pricing and Crime During the Partial Privatization of a Canadian Government Alcohol Monopoly
    Stockwell, T, Zhao, J, Marzell, M, Gruenewald, PJ, Macdonald, S, Ponicki, WR and Martin, G. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 76(4), 628-634.
    Date: 2015
  3. The Alcohol Policy Environment and Policy Subgroups as Predictors of Binge Drinking Measures Among US Adults
    Xuan, Z, Blanchette, J, Nelson, TF, Heeren, T, Oussayef, N and Naimi, TS. American Journal of Public Health. 105(4), 816-822.
    Date: 2015
  4. Alcohol Policies and Impaired Driving in the United States: Effects of Driving-Vs. Drinking-Oriented Policies
    Xuan, Z, Blanchette, JG, Nelson, TF, Heeren, TC, Nguyen, TH and Naimi, TS. The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. 4(2), 119.
    Date: 2015
  5. Youth Drinking in the United States: Relationships with Alcohol Policies and Adult Drinking
    Xuan, Z, Blanchette, JG, Nelson, TF, Nguyen, TH, Hadland, SE, Oussayef, NL, Heeren, TC and Naimi, TS. Pediatrics. 136(1), 18-27.
    Date: 2015
  6. Analyzing and Comparing the Association Between Control Policy Measures and Alcohol Consumption in Europe
    Baccini, M and Carreras, G. Substance Use & Misuse. 49(12), 1684-1691.
    Date: 2014
  7. Measuring the Strength of State‐Level Alcohol Control Policies
    Erickson, DJ, Lenk, KM, Toomey, TL, Nelson, TF, Jones‐Webb, R and Mosher, JF. World Medical & Health Policy. 6(3), 171-186.
    Date: 2014
  8. College Student Drinking Research from the 1940s to the Future: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going
    Kilmer, JR, Cronce, JM and Larimer, ME. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement. s17, 26-35.
    Date: 2014
  9. A New Scale of the Us Alcohol Policy Environment and Its Relationship to Binge Drinking
    Naimi, TS, Blanchette, J, Nelson, TF, Nguyen, T, Oussayef, N, Heeren, TC, Gruenewald, P, Mosher, J and Xuan, Z. American journal of preventive medicine. 46(1), 10-16.
    Date: 2014
  10. Alcohol and Mortality: Global Alcohol-Attributable Deaths from Cancer, Liver Cirrhosis, and Injury in 2010
    Rehm, J and Shield, KD. Alcohol research: current reviews. 35(2), 174.
    Date: 2014
  11. Burden of Disease Associated with Alcohol Use Disorders in the United States
    Rehm, J, Dawson, D, Frick, U, Gmel, G, Roerecke, M, Shield, KD and Grant, B. Alcoholism: clinical and experimental research. 38(4), 1068-1077.
    Date: 2014
  12. Minimum Pricing of Alcohol Versus Volumetric Taxation: Which Policy Will Reduce Heavy Consumption Without Adversely Affecting Light and Moderate Consumers?
    Sharma, A, Vandenberg, B and Hollingsworth, B. PLoS One. 9(1), e80936.
    Date: 2014
  13. A Review of Alcohol and Other Drug Control Policy Research
    Treno, AJ, Marzell, M, Gruenewald, PJ and Holder, H. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement. s17, 98-107.
    Date: 2014
  14. State Pre-Emption, Local Control, and Alcohol Retail Outlet Density Regulation
    Mosher JF, Treffers RD. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 44(4), 399-405.
    Date: 2013 (archived)
  15. Effectiveness and Cost- Effectiveness of Policies and Programs to Reduce the Harm Caused by Alcohol
    Anderson P, Chisholm D, Fuhr DC. The Lancet. 373(9682), 2234-2246.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  16. Global Burden of Disease and Injury and Economic Cost Attributable to Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Use Disorders
    Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J. The Lancet. 373(9682), 2223-2233.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  17. Policy Implications of the Widespread Practice of ‘Pre-Drinking’ or ‘Pre-Gaming’ Before Going to Public Drinking Establishments: Are Current Prevention Strategies Backfiring?
    Wells S, Graham K, Purcell J. Addiction. 104(1), 4-9.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  18. Avoidable Cost of Alcohol Abuse in Canada 2002: Highlights
    Rehm J, Gnam WH, Popova S, Patra J, Sarnocinska-Hart A. Ontario: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto. .
    Date: 2008 (archived)
  19. Comparative Analysis of Alcohol Control Policies in 30 Countries
    Brand DA, Saisana M, Rynn LA, Pennoni F, Lowenfels AB. PLoS Medicine. 4(4), 0752-0759.
    Date: 2007 (archived)
  20. Paying the Tab: The Costs and Benefits of Alcohol Control
    Cook PJ. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. .
    Date: 2007 (archived)
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