Alcohol News: February 2005

Are States Ready to Raise Taxes on Alcohol?
Substance Abuse Policy Research Program, February 22, 2005
Research has played a key role in raising the minimum legal drinking age and reducing limits of blood alcohol concentrations for drivers, because both measures were shown to have public health benefits. Research has also shown that an increase in alcohol taxes can reduce consumption and reduce the negative consequences of alcohol-related trauma and violence, especially among youth.

So are states ready to raise taxes on alcohol?

A new report from the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) looks at "state readiness" to act on research findings related to alcohol taxes. The report is written by James F. Mosher, J.D., and Charles Tremper, J.D., Ph.D., of the Center for the Study of Law and Enforcement Policy at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. It is the first report from SAPRP's new Targeted Rapid Response research grants, which are aimed at providing practical research-based information to policy makers. It is available at www.saprp.org.

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Skyy hit the limits with racy ad: critics
Ad Age, February 7, 2005
Skyy Spirits, which has long promoted its namesake vodka with sexually charged advertising, may have pushed the envelope too far. Its latest ad is provoking ire inside and outside the industry.

The ad depicts a lingerie-clad woman with a martini glass, a half-empty bottle of Skyy and an instant camera splayed on a bed sprinkled with pictures of people in states of undress. It is being scrutinized by the industry's lead trade group, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

"This ad takes the promise of 'buy the booze, get the girl' to new lows," a spokeswoman from the Marin Institute, an alcohol watchdog group, said.

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Alcohol Advertising & Sex

Madison, Wisconsin nurse files suit against brewers, distillers
ABC WBay TV, WI, February 27, 2005
A Madison school nurse is suing national brewers and distillers over their advertising practices.

The suit claims they have engaged in a long-running, sophisticated and deceptive scheme to sell alcohol to underage drinkers and reap billions a year in unlawful revenue.

The lawsuit is one of several filed nationally against the alcohol industry and its advertising agencies. It seeks class action status and asks for what could amount to billions of dollars in refunds, along with punitive damages and other costs.
Another similar class action lawsuit was dismissed earlier this month in Los Angeles but has been appealed. The strategy is similar to the one used against tobacco companies that led to a multi-billion dollar settlement in 1998.

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Alcohol Advertising & Youth

Binge Drinking on Campus Lower in States with Fewer Adult Binge Drinkers and Stronger Alcohol Control Laws
Harvard School of Public Health, February 22, 2005
Binge drinking on college campuses, a significant public health factor linked to deaths, injuries, rapes, assaults and poor student performance, is significantly lower in states where fewer adults are binge drinkers and where laws discourage excessive consumption, according to a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study, which appears in the March 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, makes it clear that college location may play a role in determining their drinking behavior and suggests that states can be strong partners in helping colleges reduce binge drinking.

The rate of binge drinking among college students was about 32 percent lower-36 percent compared to 53 percent-in the 10 states with the lowest rates of adult binge drinking compared to the ten states with the highest. Furthermore, campus binge drinking rates were 31 percent lower-33 percent compared to 48 percent-in seven states that had four or more laws targeting high volume sales of alcohol versus states that did not.

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Alcohol Availability on Campus

2004: Little Progress in Reducing Underage Drinking; Underage Youth Alcohol Use Remains High
US Newswire, February 23, 2005
The nation made little, if any, progress in 2004 in reducing the number-one drug problem among youth, according to a new status report on underage drinking released today by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University.

Among the recent research findings cited in CAMY's status report:

• 7,000 youth under the age of 16 take up drinking every day.
• Nearly one in five eighth-graders, more than one in three 10th-graders, and nearly one out of every two 12th-graders were current drinkers in 2004. There was a significant increase in beer consumption between 2003 and 2004 for eighth- and 10th-graders. Distilled spirits consumption also increased among 12th-graders between 2003 and 2004, although it was not statistically significant.
• An estimated 4,554 people under the age of 21 die each year due to excessive alcohol use.

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Alcohol & Youth Facts

Alcohol Drinkers Three Times as Likely to Die from Injury
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, February 10, 2005
People who regularly drink alcohol are three times as likely to die from injury as are non-drinkers and former drinkers of alcohol, according to new research from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This is the first study to examine drinking behavior in relation to all major categories of injuries. In particular, the study authors found that the risk of drowning was most strongly related to current drinkers. The study will be published in the March 2005 issue of Accident Analysis and Prevention.

“Previous studies have focused on the effect of acute alcohol use on the risk of injury. We looked at the relationship between a person’s usual drinking behavior and the major categories of fatal injury,” said Li-Hui Chen PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant scientist in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management.

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Health Care Costs of Alcohol

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Busch goods for 21-and-over only
ESPN, February 16, 2005
Young fans of Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch will be confronted with a new reality if they visit the team's souvenir trailer at the Daytona 500 this weekend.

If they want to purchase a piece of licensed merchandise featuring Busch's 2005 car, they'll have to flash identification proving they are 21 years of age. And if parents are looking to purchase Busch merchandise for their children, that's not going to happen either, as all outerwear will come in adult sizes only.

Busch's young fans could be considered a casualty of the latest alliance in NASCAR, as alcohol sponsorship was expanded to include the hard liquor category this offseason. Jack Daniel's took Dave Blaney's car; Jim Beam scooped up Robby Gordon; and Diageo tabbed Busch to tout its Crown Royal and Smirnoff Ice brands.

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Alcohol Advertising and Youth

Starbucks Will Venture Into Coffee Liqueur
New York Times, NY, February 17, 2005
The Starbucks Corporation's latest attempt to create a beverage that is not just for breakfast starts today with the nationwide introduction of an alcoholic coffee drink.
It will market the drink, Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, through a partnership with Jim Beam Brands, a unit of Fortune Brands.

The liqueur will be sold in bars, liquor stores and restaurants in 750-milliliter bottles for $22.99. It will not be available at Starbucks coffee outlets. Neither company would disclose financial details of the agreement.
The expansion into spirits is part of a diversification strategy by Starbucks, of Seattle.

The product has already caused some controversy. Zach Mann, the owner of a pizza restaurant in Peoria, Colo., and some friends organized a protest, placing 2,500 white crosses in an empty lot to represent the 15- to 20-year-olds killed each year while driving drunk. The group also created a Web site called Stardrunks.com, which it later shut down.

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Pacers like new security guidelines
The Indianapolis Star, IN, February 18, 2005
While the NBA will be instituting new security guidelines after the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers say they have already been abiding by many of the rules.

The league announced Thursday a set of security and behavioral guidelines for all its arenas.

Some of the guidelines include security, alcohol sales and behavior. Arenas must stop all alcohol sales during the fourth quarter, limit alcohol cup size to 24 ounces, and limit buyers to two drinks per purchase. Each arena must also have a designated driver program.

The new guidelines go into effect starting with Sunday's All-Star game in Denver.

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Alcohol: The Problem
Responsible Beverage Service

The study was conducted by Rand Health in South Dakota and was sponsored by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The report also indicated that teens who had already tried alcohol were more likely to increase their consumption when viewing ads in magazines or concessions at music and sporting events.

"The more we can combat the pro-alcohol and drug information in our society the less likely we're going to have to treat individuals down the road for substance abuse," comments Gary Smith, Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead, "Prevention is the key."

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Alcohol Advertising and Youth

Alcohol bill hits young drivers: A Senate panel passes the measure to revoke a minor's license if caught with booze
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI, February 17, 2005
Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona urged lawmakers yesterday to pass a proposal to suspend the driver's license of anyone under 21 who is caught with alcohol.
The suspension would be imposed regardless of whether the person was driving while in possession of the alcohol.

"For some of our young people, there's certainly things in the law that they really pay attention to," Aiona told members of the Senate Transportation and Government Operations Committee.

"Once they find out that if you're caught with liquor -- and you don't have to be driving -- or you consume liquor, your license will be suspended, that will get around very quickly," he added.

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Land-Use Policies
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Council tables alcohol sale at cook-off
Carlsbad Current-Argus, NM, February 9, 2005
Alcohol was a factor when city council tabled a request Tuesday for Carlsbad Radio to use the Beach Bandshell for the 12th Annual Chili Cook-off in June.

Councilman Jeff Diamond asked Gwen Miller to come forward and talk about her concerns about the event, as she was a key protester of alcoholic beverages being sold at the chili cook-off last year.

“There was people walking out with beer in their hands,” Miller said of last year’s event. “I saw two boys, who couldn’t have been more than 14 years old… those two boys walked right in that area where beer was being served. I’m very concerned, with all the drugs and alcohol problems that Carlsbad has.” “Why can’t they have the chili festival without the alcohol?” Miller queried.

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Selling Alcohol for a Day: What to Pay?

Study: 1 in 5 have binged on alcohol recently
USA Today, February 13, 2005
On average, more than one in five Americans went on a recent drinking binge, and about one in 10 smoked marijuana in the previous year.
Those are among the conclusions from the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, a landmark study using extensive data taken from surveys of 136,000 people to track the nation's substance abuse problem. Similar surveys in future years will be compared with this year's results to help paint a picture of how drugs affect American life.

About 54 million people, 22.6% of the population nationwide, participated in binge drinking at least once during the past 30 days, the study estimated. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks in one sitting during the previous month. The percentage of people binge drinking far exceeds the national average in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

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Alcohol: The Problem
Our Solution: Environmental Prevention

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Super Bowl Action Center

Wyoming Senate OK's ban on hosting youth
drinking parties
Billings Gazette, WY, February 14, 2005
The Wyoming Senate on Monday approved a bill that would establish a penalty for anyone hosting a party where minors consume alcohol or illegal drugs.

The legislation, which will be returned to the House, would also prohibit individuals from permitting an underage drinking party on premises they own or lease.

After the 18-12 vote, Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, said the measure would make it clear that youthful drinking simply is not acceptable.

"It gets at a situation where -- which unfortunately is amazing -- that people are hosting a party with drinking going on, underage drinking, thinking that they'd rather have the drinking at home rather than somewhere else," he said.

"The fact is the law prohibits drinking underage."
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Colin Simpson, R-Cody, would impose a penalty of up to six months in jail and a fine up to $750, or both.

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Tuesday, February 8, 2005

Viewers Can 'Talk Back' to Beer Ads: Alcohol-Industry Watchdog Launches a Web Service To Facilitate Complaints
The Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2005
Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, the chief holiday on the beer calendar, an alcohol-industry watchdog group has come up with a new way for viewers to complain about alcohol advertisements on the big game and elsewhere.

The Marin Institute has launched on its Web site a service it calls Talk Back, with which viewers can enter information about an offending ad for automatic crafting into a complaint letter to the advertiser, the relevant industry trade group and the Federal Trade Commission. The San Rafael, Calif., group says Talk Back has attracted a handful of legitimate complaints since debuting on a test basis in December.

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Talk Back to Super Bowl Ads
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Super Bowl to Feature Alcohol Ads
Family News in Focus, February 3, 2005
Twenty-five million teens will be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, and they'll be exposed to 10 alcohol ads from Budweiser and Bud Light alone, ads that will entice viewers with humor.

Marin Institute spokesman Amon Hoang-Rappaport said that's what worries his group. "Our concern is the simple placement of the commercials in front of such a large youth audience," he said. "Seven million young people under the age of 12 will be watching."

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Talk Back to Super Bowl Ads
Stop Paying for Super Bowl's Secondhand Alcohol Impacts!

Lawsuit Alleging Beer Ads Target Teens Is Tossed Out
The Los Angeles Times, CA, February 01, 2005
In a legal victory for the beverage industry, a Los Angeles judge has dismissed a class-action suit accusing beer giants Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Miller Brewing Co. of encouraging underage drinking by targeting teens with their advertising.

Under state law, ruled Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman, regulating alcohol ads is the job of the Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control, not the courts.

In any case, he said, the suit had failed to identify beer ads that were literally false. Further, plaintiffs failed to show how they'd suffered any direct harm as a result of beer marketing campaigns, the judge wrote.

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Alcohol Advertising and Youth
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Can we divorce beer from sports?
The London Free Press, Canada, February 05, 2005
Anheuser-Busch sponsored the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. After the closing ceremonies, about 15,000 drunken revelers jammed into Bud World, a centre that combined family attractions with beer drinking.

According to a report posted by the Marin Institute, a California group devoted to reducing alcohol problems, the drunken crowd smashed windows, damaged police cars and sexually threatened females.

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Bud World Olympic Riot Exposed

Alcohol Ads in Magazines, Stores Raise Teen Drinking
HealthDay.com, February 05, 2005
Magazine and supermarket ads featuring alcohol, as well as beer concession stands at sports and music events, have an especially powerful impact in spurring teens to start drinking or increase the amount they drink, a new study suggests.

"It appears that it's a combination of message and venue that helps influence adolescent drinking. Advertising that links alcohol with everyday life -- such as supermarket store displays -- appears to have more influence on drinking initiation," lead author Phyllis Ellickson, of the nonprofit Rand Corp., said in a prepared statement.

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