Alcohol News September 2004

Can't Get a Drink in Texas? Try the Next County. (Or Next Door.)
The New York Times, September 28, 2003
"You can buy a drink in Plano, but it's not that easy.

There are no bars or liquor stores allowed in this booming city of 240,000, Texas's ninth largest, 30 miles north of Dallas, which is also dry-ish. Supermarkets and groceries in 40 percent of Plano's opulent 72 square miles may not sell beer or wine. The rest can. You just have to know which is which.

Plano's 126 restaurants do sell drinks, if you hand over identification and sign a form to "join" the establishment's "private club," a practice common in Texas' nominally dry areas.

Texas is a patchwork of dizzying gradations of wetness, a carryover from Prohibition and arcane laws devised to protect varying interests. But people in Plano and a growing number of other localities are mobilizing to do something about it.

A new state law easing rules for local referendums on alcohol sales has allowed citizens here and elsewhere to organize intricate petition drives to liberalize liquor laws community by community..."
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Special Senate session fails to lower DUI alcohol limit
The Cape Gazette, October 1, 2003
"Delaware Senators did not buckle to the pressure of being behind the federal .08 ball during a special session held Sept. 24. Proponents of lowering the state's tolerance of drinking and driving had hoped the lawmakers might use the session to pass a bill reducing the acceptable blood alcohol content from .10 to .08.

Delaware is one of six states that has not decreased the DUI standard since the federal government passed legislation in 2000 instituting a phased in financial penalty for states which do not implement a .08 limit. Penalties in the first phase begin Oct.1, and by most estimates the state stands to forfeit access to $1.6 million in federal highway funds..."
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Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Pennsylvania to move liquor into supermarkets
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, September 30, 2003
"The head of the Pennsylvania state store managers union yesterday blasted a move to locate state liquor stores inside privately owned supermarkets, saying it will expose children to "vodka and vitamins, whiskey and peanut butter and Captain Morgan [rum] and Captain Crunch."

Ed Cloonan, president of the Independent State Store Union, which represents 500 store managers, said the state Liquor Control Board should be renamed the "Liquor Promotional Board." He called for public hearings to be held before the LCB goes ahead with its "onslaught to sell more liquor in Pennsylvania."

The first liquor store is set to go inside a supermarket outside Philadelphia late this year. Other state stores will be inside supermarkets in the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg areas early in 2004, as soon as leases can be worked out.

"The PLCB is out of control," Cloonan said in a news release. "It's a captive of the alcohol beverage industry thirsting to push more of the drug alcohol."

Cloonan charged that putting liquor stores inside supermarkets will make liquor more available to underage youths and will be the first step toward privatization of liquor stores in Pennsylvania..."
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It takes a team to curb youth drinking
American Medical News, September 30, 2003
"Efforts to combat the epidemic of underage drinking will require a range of players -- parents, retailers, state and federal lawmakers, alcohol manufacturers and the entertainment industry -- says a new Institute of Medicine and National Research Council report.

"Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility" sets out a strategy that protects the nation's youth while respecting the rights of responsible adult consumers of alcohol, said Richard J. Bonnie, director of the University of Virginia's Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, and the chair of the committee that drafted the report.

The report was applauded by the AMA, which has launched its own efforts to control underage drinking.

"I've practiced medicine for more than three decades, and seen firsthand the ravages of alcohol on young people and on their families," said AMA Trustee J. Edward Hill, MD, at a Sept. 10 Capitol Hill news conference.

Underage drinking should be taken as seriously as drug and alcohol abuse, said Dr. Hill, and physicians are in a good position to counsel their young patients on the dangers of alcohol abuse.

The availability of alcohol and apparent willingness of adults to supply alcohol to teens means that curbing underage drinking will be an uphill battle, but an important one to win, said the new report.

"Alcohol use by young people is dangerous because of the risks associated with acute impairment, and because it threatens [teens'] long-term development," said Bonnie.

Although motor vehicle accidents are the most visible consequence of alcohol abuse, underage drinking is also associated with violence, suicide, academic failure and other harmful behaviors..."
AMNews: Oct. 6, 2003. It takes a team to curb youth drinking..." American Medical News

At 11th hour, home of Mardi Gras tightens drunken driving laws
USA Today, September 30, 2003
"The state where revelers get blitzed for Mardi Gras and daiquiris are dispensed at drive-thru windows held out about as a long as it could before lowering its drunken-driving threshold.

As of midnight Monday, the legal limit for a motorist's blood-alcohol content was set to drop from 0.10% to 0.08% - a change approved reluctantly by Louisiana lawmakers who did not want to lose about $6 million a year in federal highway construction money.

"I didn't like the fact the federal government mandated us to do it," said Republican state Rep. Daniel Martiny. "Ninety-nine percent of the people causing these accidents are not 0.08, but probably 0.20 or 0.30."

The deadline for states to make the change or risk losing 2% of their highway funds was Oct. 1. The six states that have kept the 0.10 threshold - New Jersey, Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia - risk losing an additional 2% each year through 2006.

Louisiana has long been loath to restrict alcohol. In 1995 it became the last state to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21..."
Fulltext of article

Survey reveals Air Force cadets' drinking habits
USA Today, September 30, 2003
"A survey of cadets at the Air Force Academy released Monday shows significant drinking in dormitories, despite a ban on alcohol.

Fifty-two percent of seniors admitted drinking in their dormitories at least once, while 38% of cadets under age 21 who arrived on campus just this year reported drinking in their dorms.

The survey, done periodically, is drawing more scrutiny this fall because of the academy's sexual assault scandal. In light of the findings, academy commanders said they will bring in extra staff to patrol dorms.

The survey also showed cadets were less likely to follow the honor code the longer they are at the academy..."
Fulltext of article

Police: Alcohol impairment significant long before hitting 0.08 percent limit
The Post Crescent, September 29, 2003
"How the change in Wisconsin's legal threshold of intoxication is going to affect drivers and the police who enforce the laws is hazier than a smoke-filled barroom.

The gin-clear part of the equation is that drivers will be legally drunk with less to drink. About one drink less by most equations.

Each drink contributes about 0.015 percent to an individual's blood-alcohol concentration, said Rob Kappelman, a lieutenant with Two Rivers Police Department who trains other officers on how to field test impaired drivers. An average person metabolizes roughly the same amount of alcohol each hour, keeping a person who consumes one drink per hour nearly sober.

A drink is usually defined as one 12-ounce beer, a glass of wine or mixed drink with about an ounce of booze.

Experts warn that the drink that pushes drivers over the 0.08 percent mark is not likely to have a substantial effect on their level of impairment - because they're likely already impaired..."
Fulltext of article

Irish crackdown on alcohol ads
ITV.com, September 29, 2003
"Alcohol companies could be forced to place health warnings on cans and bottles in a bid to combat Ireland's drink problem.

The Government is also proposing to ban alcohol advertising on television and radio before 10pm, and in cinemas where people under the age of 18 are present.

All advertisements for alcohol would have to carry health warnings under the new legislation to be introduced into the Irish parliament by health minister Micheal Martin.
Irish premier Bertie Ahern said: "The Minister for Health will shortly be bringing forward legislation to protect young people from over-exposure to alcohol marketing, including advertising, sponsorship and sales promotions."

This would include a ban on publicity on public transport, youth centres and sporting events where minors are present..."
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Monday, September 29, 2003  

Under the influence?
Seacoast Online, Portsmouth Hearald, NH, September 28, 2003
"Do candy cigarettes or tequila-flavored lollipops influence children's decisions later on in life?

Police and health officials say they do, but some local stores say there is no reason to pull the products off the shelves.

Kittery resident Priscilla Guy said she was outraged when she walked into the local 7-Eleven and saw tequila-flavored lollipops that include a real worm. What she found more outrageous was that the candy was accessible to children. The lollipops do not contain alcohol..."
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Welsh kids top UK booze league
IC Wales, September 28, 2003
"Children in Wales are the heaviest young drinkers in Britain.

And health workers today warn that binge-drinking may be to blame for increases in cancer and liver damage among the nation's young people.

A shocking Wales on Sunday investigation into school-age drinking revealed that Welsh teenagers as young as 14 see heavy drinking sessions as an acceptable part of growing up.
And teachers have warned that children as young as 10 are using alcohol regularly.

A spokeswoman for the National Public Health Service (NPHS) for Wales said: "We are seeing more cases of gastrointestinal problems, including liver damage among younger people and this may be linked to binge drinking. Obviously, the earlier you start drinking, the more you are putting yourself at risk..."
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A cocktail of policies is key to alcohol abuse
The Scotsman, September 28, 2003
"...Heavy drinking runs in families. When this is teased out by research into adoptees and studies of twin pairs, we see that family transmission is in part due to genes laid down at conception.

Drinking experiments in laboratory animals, usually mice or rats, have shown several types of gene anomalies which affect liking for alcohol. The genes identified so far control certain proteins in the brain circuits where stimulation and positive rewards link with memory and behaviour. These animals usually need some initial rehearsal to get started on their drinking careers, but then work hard for alcohol and drink it in large amounts.

Some genetic manipulations have produced strains of particularly heavy-drinking mice that are also more aggressive than their peers.

Might early hunter-gatherers who could drink a lot (and perhaps were sometimes more aggressive) have survival credential? This is plausible. They might have taken more risks, and been good at bringing home the bacon. Although they might have died younger than their peers, this would not have been an evolutionary disadvantage if they had already produced offspring, especially if they'd been brave enough to go to the next village and improve the mix of genes further.

So if binge drinking is in our genes, for some at least, as well as in our ancient customs, surely it will be too entrenched to change? The Scottish Executive's wish in the 2002 Plan for Action on Alcohol Misuse, to change Scotland's drinking culture, would seem forlorn. The suggestion of the 2003 Nicholson Report on Licensing, to replace our drinking culture by a Mediterranean style of drinking (mainly wine with meals), might risk adding to our repertoire, rather than substituting one pattern by another..."
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Official says pregnancy is no time for alcohol
Starbulletin.com, September 28, 2003
"A pregnant woman who drinks alcohol can damage her child's brain and no amount is safe to drink, says a national specialist on fetal alcohol.

"There is no way to say a certain amount might be safe, so the only safe amount to drink is none," emphasizes Dan Dubovsky, with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center for Excellence in Rockville, Md.

He will speak at a series of meetings with pediatricians, health, human services and justice system professionals tomorrow through Friday on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
The public, policymakers and people concerned with developmental disabilities are invited to a presentation from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow in the State Capitol auditorium. The topic: "Improving the Quality of Life for Individuals Who Struggle with School, Work and/or Relationships: Exploring the Reasons and Responses."

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a developmental disability caused by prenatal alcohol exposure..."
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See this link also FASD

Air Force Academy gets tough on alcohol
CNN.com, September 26, 2003
"Air Force Academy cadets who break rules on alcohol use will be treated like anyone else in the military under a tough new policy following the school's sexual assault scandal.

Punishments could include reprimands, loss of privileges, brig time, forfeiture of pay and reduction in rank, school officials told The Associated Press on Friday...

...Alcohol was involved in 40 percent of the 142 sexual assault cases at the academy in the past decade, according to an Air Force inquiry completed in June.

Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida had written to cadets earlier this month warning of the impending changes.

"This policy change is necessary because alcohol has been a major contributing factor in cadet criminal misconduct, including sexual assaults, battery and integrity offenses involving cadets over the past several years," Weida wrote..."
Fulltext of article

Sunday alcohol sales under review
The Augusta Chronicle, September 27, 2003
"The sale of alcohol in grocery and convenience stores on Sunday could be on the way out, but it won't be sorely missed in Aiken, store owners and beer buyers said Saturday.
It really wouldn't be a big deal to us," said Thomas Jones, who was perusing the beer aisle at the Food Lion grocer store on Richland Avenue with Leroy Jones.

"We'd just come get it Saturday at quarter to 12," said Mr. Jones, who has bought beer on Sundays only three times since it became an option in June.

On Monday, a panel of administrative law judges are reviewing Sunday beer sales in Greenville, where officials have contested beer and wine applications from five convenience stores, according to the Revenue Department, which requested the hearing for clarification.

A spokesman for the department said he wasn't sure what the implications of the hearing might be. Some people said the state misinterpreted the law when it approved Sunday sales in Aiken, which is among five cities and two counties in South Carolina that allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer and wine on Sunday.

"The Revenue Department started allowing them to sell on Sunday in June, a decision that came after a referendum passed last year in Aiken that allows restaurants and bars to sell alcohol on Sundays..."
Fulltext of article

Friday, September 26, 2003

College Presidents Discuss Problems of Alcohol Abuse
Salisbury Post, September 26, 2003
"If a disease caused 1,400 deaths and 500,000 injuries on college campuses across the country each year, would it be taken seriously?

Certainly, local colleges and universities say. And that's why they're talking about the problem of alcohol abuse...

...On Wednesday, the presidents of Catawba and Livingstone colleges and Pfeiffer University attended the North Carolina Presidents' Summit on Alcohol Use and Abuse, hosted by Wingate University in Union County..."
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Related study from Harvard University

Low-Carb Beer Fattens Anheuser Busch
Forbes.com, September 26, 2003
"The ads feature attractive young urban professionals photographed in the midst of a suspiciously sweat-free workout. At first glance, the glossy panels seem to be promoting a new health club, or maybe an innovative line of sports equipment. In fact, they're boasting the merits of a new beer.

Although counter-intuitive at first, the ad campaign by Waylon Ad in St. Louis worked wonders. That's because Anheuser-Busch (nyse: BUD) wasn't targeting your typical beer drinker. Rather, with the national launch of low-carb beer Michelob Ultra a year ago, the largest brewer in the world meant to tap into a new market--that of the Atkins diet disciple with a soft spot for barley and hops. It worked. Anheuser announced in July that second-quarter earnings had risen 7.9%, driven partly by increased sales of Michelob Ultra..."
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Related Page: Alcohol Ads Aplenty

Texas wineries ripe for growth under Prop. 11
The Houston Chronicle, September 26, 2003
"Although no one is harboring visions of creating a Sonoma Valley in Texas, this state's wine industry could get a boost if voters approve Proposition 11 on the Sept. 13 ballot.

Another measure, Proposition 4, would encourage development of more public parks in the Houston area and a limited number of other counties if local voters approve the extra debt to pay for them...

Fulltext of article

Alcohol, nicotine: Trouble for teen brains
nited Press International , September 23, 2003
"The adolescent brain is far more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and nicotine than the adult brain. The reason, researchers have found in separate experiments, is a part of the brain crucial to learning is more easily damaged by these substances in adolescents than in adults.

The research was conducted with rats and presented at a conference sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences. In one study, the investigators found alcohol exposure causes "a more powerful decrease in neural activity" in the hippocampus of adolescent rats compared with adult rodents, said H. Scott Swartzwelder, a neuropsychologist at Duke University and the VA Medical Centers in Durham, N.C..."
Fulltext of article

posted by MarkB | 9/26/2003

Alcohol Treatment Coverage Often Falls Short of Legal Mandates
Face Daily News, September 24, 2003
"Washington, DC - Employer-based health insurance plans often don't provide the treatment for alcoholism and other drug addictions that is mandated by state law, a new analysis by Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems (ESAP) at George Washington University Medical Center has found. ESAP researchers discovered that at least 10 major plans in 5 states (see chart) were not in compliance with state laws governing insurance coverage for alcoholism treatment..."
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Mexico threatens to turn off Tequila
CNN.com, September 25, 2003
"Mexico is threatening to cut off all bulk exports of Tequila, claiming it needs to tighten quality controls on the gold-plated namebrand that is owned by the Mexican government and supposedly assures every bottle's high quality. If enacted, all Tequila would be bottled in Mexico.

Mexico is the only nation that produces the alcohol made from fermented sap from the blue agave plant.

But as is usually in the case with trade fights, there are opposing views. U.S. companies suspect that by banning bulk exports used north of the Rio Grande for individual bottling, Mexico is maneuvering to steal American bottling jobs.

Peter Cressy, president of the Distilled Spirits Council, on Wednesday called Mexico's proposal an "ill-conceived action" in violation of world trade rules.

Another U.S. industry official, who asked not to be identified, bluntly said the Mexican government was trying to "create jobs" by moving American bottling operations south..."
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Related article
Another related article

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Binge Drinking Encouraged by Mavericks
Press Release: Distilled Spirits Association Of NZ Inc, September 24, 2003
" Maverick alcohol suppliers are encouraging excessive drinking, argues the Distilled Spirits Association of New Zealand.

The Association, which represents this country's leading producers and marketers of high quality, premium spirits and liqueurs, concurs with the Alcohol Advisory Council's (ALAC) warning today following the recent deaths of two men in relation to binge drinking.

ALAC's Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mike MacAvoy noted that the individuals appeared to have consumed bottles of so-called "lower strength" spirits, and believes people may be lulled into a false sense of security by the term "low strength"..."
Fulltext of article

Dispel myths, save lives
USA Today, September 23, 2003
" The damage to the nation from underage drinking is as startling as the fact that three in 10 high school students admit to binge drinking. Alcohol is involved in the three biggest causes of teen death - traffic accidents, homicides and suicides - according to a recent national study. The cost to the nation in crime, medical bills and lost lives is estimated at $53 billion a year, more than $500 for every U.S. household...

Among the damaging myths:
Alcohol is marketed responsibly. Beer and liquor lobbies tout voluntary codes that limit their ads to publications with mostly adult audiences. But that standard still allows the industry to target young audiences. The industry spent $75 million in 2001 for ads in Sports Illustrated, Maxim and Cosmopolitan magazines Although each publication has a readership that is more than 70% adult, as the industry standards require, the ads still reach a combined audience of 14 million readers ages 12 to 20, according to the Center on Alcohol, Marketing and Youth, a non-profit anti-drinking group..."
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In a City of Few Limits, One Just Got Lower
The New York Times, September 24, 2003
" A state law lowering the blood alcohol limit for drivers went into effect one minute after midnight today in Las Vegas, but most revelers seemed too busy drinking to notice.

"People who drink and drive are going to do it anyway," said Phil Blanke, a stagehand for "Showgirls" who moved here from Philadelphia five years ago and was drinking a beer shortly after midnight at the Crown and Anchor pub. "I'm not for going out and getting sloshed. It's just a question of knowing your limit."

The law, which the Legislature passed in May under threat of losing federal money for highways, lowers the legal blood alcohol level to 0.08 percent from 0.10, and joins similar statutes in 44 other states. The exceptions are New Jersey, Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"It has reduced crashes and fatalities in other states," Capt. Rick Bilyeu of the Las Vegas police, who leads the department's traffic division, said this morning in an interview. "It adds tools to our tool kit, but there's a lot of other things we need to do, like pursuing more prosecutions with existing laws."

Of the 128 traffic deaths in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County last year, Captain Bilyeu said, more than 40 were alcohol-related, a figure he called "pretty staggering." In the first six months of this year, the police here arrested 1,104 drivers on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, he said..."
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Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Call-in stickers used to deter drunken drivers
CNN.com, September 23, 2003
"Some convicted drunken drivers in the Florida Panhandle have been ordered to put bumper stickers on their cars asking, "How's my driving? ... The judge wants to know!!!"

Escambia County Judge William White said he hopes the bumper stickers, which include an identification number for each driver and a toll-free phone number, will reduce repeat offenses for driving under the influence of alcohol.

"We want to influence people to correct their behavior rather than just use this as sort of a monitoring system," White said.

White said he tried to use bumper stickers saying only "Convicted DUI" in the past simply to shame violators. He hopes the call-in stickers will be a stronger deterrent..."
Fulltext of article

Famous waterfall didn't inspire 'Coors falls'
The Denver Post, September 22, 2003
" For decades, many of the 200,000-plus annual visitors to the Denver area have called two world-famous side-by-side waterfalls in this high-mountain basin "Coors falls."

The story, passed like gospel truth across the jagged peaks of the San Juan Mountains and filtered around the globe, holds that the falls - one of the most photographed natural wonders in Colorado and an important tourist magnet for Ouray - are the model for the waterfall logo on Coors Light beer cans.

Prompted by the 'for sale' sign on the property near the falls, The Denver Post last week asked the Golden brewery to research the origin of the famous waterfall logo. In response, a spokeswoman for Coors Brewing determined the Twin Falls may be sparkling with pure Rocky Mountain spring water, but they are not the Coors falls..."
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Southern Comfort's Creator Returns to Promote
The New York Times, September 23, 2003
" JACK DANIEL is to Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey as M. W. Heron is to Southern Comfort liqueur.

Drawing a blank on Heron? You're in good company. Heron is far from a household name, but executives at the Brown-Forman Corporation, which makes both Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort, are trying to change that.

The company has unearthed the story of M. W. Heron, a bartender in New Orleans who created Southern Comfort in 1874. Brown-Forman is betting that Heron will help consumers develop a greater connection with the brand. The goal is to parlay consumer interest into an increase in sales and a national campaign for Southern Comfort, which Brown-Forman has brought to television for the first time.

"We've had an awful lot of success with Jack Daniel because there is a Jack Daniel; there are pictures of Jack Daniel," said Rick Bubenhofer, a spokesman for Brown-Forman in Louisville, Ky. "People like authentic brands. They like Harley-Davidson, and there was a Mr. Harley and a Mr. Davidson. People can identify with them. We think the authenticity will help us increase the popularity..."
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Britain Has Notorious Binge-Drinking Culture
Reuters London, September 19, 2003
"Britons are the worst binge drinkers in Europe and women are catching up with men in the heavy drinking stakes, the Brittish government said on Friday, urging a "more civilized" late-night culture.

According to a report by the British government, while Britons drink less than most of their continental neighbors, they drink more intensively..."
Fulltext of article

posted by Shanita | 9/23/2003

Monday, September 22, 2003

Turn on the TV, particularly during sporting events, and you're bombarded with beer commercials - and so are your children.
The Tullahoma News, September 22, 2003
"In fact, recent studies show that kids see almost as many beer commercials as adults do.

But what about ads to prevent alcohol abuse? Kids see only one such commercial, usually the alcohol industry's own "responsibility" ads, for every 60 alcohol commercials they watch.

Research suggests what most parents already know: This barrage of alcohol advertising is a threat to their children.

The federal government spends only $71 million a year on anti-underage drinking efforts, compared to $18 billion fighting drug abuse. And yet, alcohol abuse kills 6.5 times more kids than all drugs combined. Meanwhile, the alcohol industry is spending $3 billion a year on alcohol ads..."
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Related Article

Brazil Imposes Ban on Sexy Alcohol Ads
The Mercury News, September 19, 2003
"...Television alcohol advertisements featuring scantily clad models will be banned in Brazil under new guidelines issued by the self-regulating ad council of Latin America's largest country.

The guidelines banning erotic content in the ads also apply to magazine and radio pitches for all alcoholic beverages.

The rules issued last week go into effect within three months. They are aimed at reducing alcohol use among minors and heading off efforts by lawmakers to enact legislation restricting the ads..."
Fulltext of article

Georgetown Police Find Alcohol in Energy Drink
WKYT, News First, Kentucky Television, September 19, 2003
"Georgetown residents are buzzing about an energy drink. The drink, called Yellow Jacket, contains a .02% alcohol level, according to tests performed by the Georgetown police department.

The department was alerted Friday when two Georgetown middle school student was drinking the energy drink at school.

The student's teacher smelled alcohol and called school security.
That's when police stepped in and tested the beverage for alcohol content..."
Fulltext of article

San Jose to consider lifting ban on gas station liquor sales
San Jose Mercury News, September 19, 2003
"San Jose will take a new look today at an ordinance that prohibits gas stations from selling food and alcohol, a ban that three council members say is obsolete and deprives the city of sales tax revenue.

In a memo released in time for today's council meeting, Vice Mayor Pat Dando and council members Linda LeZotte and Forrest Williams urge their colleagues to direct the city attorney to prepare an ordinance lifting the ban.

While backed by many gas station operators, removing the ban is strongly opposed by such groups as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Traffic Safe Communities Network. They argue that the city doesn't need more places to buy alcohol and that lifting the ban sends the wrong message to teens and young adults..."
Fulltext of article

Struggling Against Teenage Drinking
The New York Times, September 19, 2003
"Almost everyone deplores the epidemic of teenage drinking in this country, but it seems devilishly difficult to do much about it. Drinking is so ingrained in the cultural fabric, and the long-ago failure of Prohibition has left such a feeling of futility, that few politicians are willing to take on the alcohol lobbies. Yet a new report from the National Academy of Sciences makes a persuasive case that the battle against teenage drinking could have substantial impact if it engaged all elements of society, from the federal government, with its taxing powers, to parents, who may be unaware that their children are drinking.

A panel appointed by the academy's Institute of Medicine cited disturbing evidence that young people tended to drink more heavily than adults. More than a quarter of all high school seniors reported last year that they had consumed five or more drinks in a row in the preceding two weeks. These students have turned themselves into binge drinkers who are a menace to themselves and to those around them. More young people drink alcohol than smoke tobacco or use other drugs..."
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Thursday, September 18, 2003

Handbook: U.S. beer consumption rises for 7th straight year
St. Louis Business Journal, September 17, 2003
"For the seventh straight year, U.S. beer consumption has increased, despite price hikes, poor weather, a down economy and world events, a newly released report says..."
Fulltext of article

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Move to Sell Booze at San Jose Gas Stations
KPIX News, September 16, 2003
"The San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to lift a ban on gas station beer and wine sales.
The measure passed on a six to four vote. It now goes to the city attorney's office, which will draft a final resolution for council approval..."
Fulltext of article with Video

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Crossroads for Online Wine Sales
The New York Times, September 16, 2003
" ...In the last few months, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, in response to legislative action and court cases, have begun opening their borders to direct-to-consumer wine shipments from other states, giving wineries and online wine retailers access to millions of potential new customers.

As a result, 26 states, including California, now allow residents to accept at least some out-of-state wine deliveries. Depending on the outcome of other court cases, in Florida, Michigan and New York, online wine sellers could find an even larger market in the coming months.

New York, which after California has the largest contingent of wine drinkers in the country, is awaiting a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan, in a case that will determine the validity of a state law barring the importation of out-of-state wine directly to consumers. (The decision is expected before the end of the year.)

New York's law requires all sellers of out-of-state alcoholic beverages to sell to licensed wholesalers in the state, who then sell to retailers. This so-called "three tier" system, dates back to 1933, when the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition.

In court earlier this month, lawyers defending the New York law argued that it helped limit under-age drinking, since, they said, children could more easily obtain wine online than at a store. They also said the law helps ensure "orderly market conditions," since wholesalers are licensed and well aware of the state's taxing requirements, among other things.

But such arguments are not convincing, said David Lucas, owner of the Lucas Winery in Lodi, Calif., and a plaintiff in the New York lawsuit. In a phone interview last week, Mr. Lucas said the law was merely a way for New York to protect its wholesalers by forcing out-of-state sellers to cut them in on every transaction, thereby diverting as much as 50 percent of the potential profit to New York companies..."
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BRUISING FIGHT TO STOP BOOZING KIDS
New York Post, Online Edition, September 15, 2003
"Alcohol and youth make a dangerous combination, a $53 billion problem that can lead to increased crime and traffic deaths and one the government, parents and industry need to solve, the Institute of Medicine said.

The institute, a health policy advisory center affiliated with the National Academies, urged higher federal and state taxes on alcoholic beverages, tougher state drinking laws, better state identification cards and improved policies for detecting and stopping underage drinking parties.

As the report was being issued, the alcoholic beverage industry said it will increasingly target its advertising away from youth.

The Beer Institute and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said their members plan to limit advertising to media with 70 percent adult audiences.

The current standard is a majority adult audience - over 50 percent - and the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday, in its own report, that the industry has improved to 99 percent compliance.

The FTC study was issued at the request of Congress because of the suspicion that newly popular flavored alcoholic malt beverages were being targeted at youth.

The FTC concluded that was not the case but noted that young legal drinkers and underaged kids tend to watch many of the same shows.

Besides advertising, the FTC said national alcohol policy should deal with the ways underage drinkers obtain beverages they cannot legally drink."
Fulltext of Article

Monday, September 15, 2003

Study links advertising, binge drinking
Health Beat, News 8, Austin, September 10, 2003
" Drinking and college have always gone hand in hand. But alarming statistics show binge drinking is on the rise at colleges across the country.

One study shows the marketing of alcohol has a lot to do with it.

Two for one, 25 cent drafts, ladies drink free, the signs are everywhere in college communities welcoming back students. They're promotions that researchers say not only advertise large quantities of alcohol for cheap prices, but also promote binge drinking.

"There's clearly an association between sale prices and promotions and binge drinking. While this was not an unexpected finding, it was the first time that independent measures of specials and prices offered were taken and tied to a level of drinking. This is because at colleges, alcohol is not sold for standard prices, but is very often sold at these kinds of specials," said Henry Wechsler, director of the College Alcohol Study at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Wechsler was the principal investigator in the study focusing on the role marketing plays in binge drinking. He will present his findings at the American Medical Association's science reporters conference in Philadelphia.

The study found an alarming two out of five college students are binge drinkers, that's 44 percent of the college population. Binge drinking is defined in his studies as five or more drinks in a row for men and four for more drinks in a row for women, at least once in the last two weeks.

In this study, researchers also looked at the total number of drinks students consumed, and how the presence of drink specials affected drinking behavior.

Almost three quarters of the on-premise bars surveyed offered specials on weekends, and more than 60 percent of the off-premise bars provided beer promotions. The study's results suggest the regulation of marketing practices may be an important strategy in reducing binge drinking and the problems associated with it.

"It is estimated that 1,100 college students die each year on the highways as a result of drinking and driving. This is a dangerous situation," Wechsler said.

Not to mention the countless second-hand effects like assaults, sexual abuse, noise, vandalism, missed classes and lower grade point averages. College binge drinking is not just a college problem, Wechsler said.

"Community officials are part of the problem, and they need to be part of the solution. They have allowed the irresponsible marketing practices to continue for so long and they have also not put into effect strong laws that can help solve this problem," Wechsler said.

Colleges cannot do it alone, he said. They need the help of the entire community.

Other studies conducted by Wechsler's team show college students form states with stricter alcohol marketing laws are less likely to drink and drive."

posted by Shanita | 9/15/2003

Air Force Academy Changes Alcohol Policy
San Luis Obispo Tribune, September 13, 2003
" A new policy at the Air Force Academy imposes a three-month conduct probation for alcohol violations, a change prompted after leaders noted alcohol contributed to cadet misconduct.

"While the public may tolerate college students who drink to excess, they demand more from Air Force professionals," Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. John Weida wrote in an advisory to cadets obtained by The Gazette of Colorado Springs.

Meade Warthen, a spokesman for the academy, said Saturday he could not confirm the report.
The Gazette reported the probation could include confinement to base and submitting to a rehabilitation program. A second violation prompts Military Review Committee consideration, which can lead to expulsion.

The rules follow a sexual assault scandal that erupted this year after female cadets said the academy did not take their assault reports seriously. Weida was installed after top leaders were ousted in March amid the scandal.

An Air Force inquiry completed in June found 40 percent of the 40 cadet-on-cadet sexual assaults investigated in the past decade involved alcohol.

The new alcohol policy restates existing bans on underage drinking, alcohol in dormitories and driving under the influence, but eases a rule imposed in March mandating expulsion for anyone who provides alcohol to a minor.

Cadets face expulsion if they abuse alcohol and then commit infractions such as aggravated assault or destruction of property that warrant dismissal from the Air Force."

Cadets 21 or older are banned from publicly consuming alcohol while in uniform unless attending an academy function or having a meal at a restaurant.

Cheap booze boosts campus alcohol abuse
USA Today, September 14, 2003
" Campus efforts to reduce heavy drinking among college students tend to focus on lowering demand among undergraduates, but a new study calls for efforts to control marketing that targets students with cheap alcohol. Specifically, the report urges bars, liquor stores and other campus-area retailers to stop offering nickel beers, "all-you-care-to-drink" specials and similar promotions aimed at the college crowd.

Harvard public health researchers base that recommendation on their visits to some 830 bars and restaurants and nearly 1,700 liquor stores and retail outlets in 118 college neighborhoods nationwide. There, trained experts documented the extent to which college students are targeted with promotions, specials and enticements. The results show a strong association between higher rates of heavy drinking among students and the presence of such low prices and alcohol promotions in nearby bars.

The Harvard findings, released Friday and published in October's American Journal of Preventive Medicine, echo recommendations made last week by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Noting that underage drinking costs the nation $53 billion annually in losses stemming from traffic deaths, crime and other behaviors, a federally sponsored panel recommended, among other things, that the alcohol industry end marketing practices that have particular appeal among young people. The same day, the Federal Trade Commission announced that alcohol advertisers had agreed to take steps to further keep their messages from kids.
Alcohol industry leaders say the FTC report reflects their belief in self-regulation. But Jeff Becker, president of the Beer Institute, said the NAS report contained "erroneous conclusions."

Meanwhile, public health experts, who have long argued that availability of alcohol and low prices encourage underage drinking, are hardly surprised by the Harvard results. But they say the documentation will support efforts to regulate bars and stores that sell liquor.

"This will give our public health community and universities ammunition to change public policy," says Donald Zeigler, an American Medical Association deputy director.

J. Michael McGinnis, an official with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the Harvard study, says the findings are "testimony to the importance of a community-wide focus on behavior-change strategies."

Still, most proponents of regulations on alcohol promotions expect an uphill battle. Consider an effort at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where 25 tavern owners agreed last year to end weekend drink specials - but only begrudgingly and only temporarily.

A better solution would be to "get the drinking age back to 19," says Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty, a participating hangout. So why participate in the UW project? "We wanted to disprove their accusations," he says."

posted by Shanita | 9/15/2003

Friday, September 12, 2003  

Study Documents Low-Priced, High-Volume Sales of Alcohol Available to College Students Nationwide
Harvard School of Public Health, September 12, 2003
"Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) released today a new study documenting, through systematic on-site observations, the extent to which college students are targeted with sales of large volumes of alcohol (such as 24- and 30-can cases of beer, kegs, and "party balls"), low sale prices, and frequent alcohol promotions at bars, liquor stores, and other retail outlets surrounding college campuses. The study, which appears in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found a strong association between the presence of these promotions and higher rates of heavy drinking on college campuses.
According to previous CAS research, underage students consume 48 percent of all alcohol consumed on college campuses. The study paints a portrait of the alcohol promotions college students will likely encounter as they start school this fall and enumerates the typical price of a beer, which can be as cheap as 25 cents. This study marks the first time that trained observers went into bars and liquor stores surrounding college campuses to obtain a national picture of the marketing practices for alcohol in college communities without relying solely on student recall.
A second study also appearing in the journal found that drinking and driving was less prevalent on campuses in states that had more comprehensive laws and stronger enforcement capacity to restrict drinking and driving, underage drinking, and high volume consumption and sales of alcohol..."
(fulltext of this article)
(See this also, but you must have PDF)

Report advocates higher alcohol taxes
Contra Costa Times, September 10, 2003
"The National Academy of Sciences recommended in a long-awaited report Wednesday that government officials combat underage drinking by raising alcohol taxes and sharply limiting liquor advertising on television and in magazines.
The report, which some hope will lay the groundwork for a comprehensive national plan to tackle drinking by minors, found that underage drinking kills 6.5 times more youths than all illicit drugs combined and that traffic fatalities and violent crime associated with underage drinking cost the country $53 billion a year.
The report received bipartisan support from lawmakers, who hailed it as the first substantial look at combating underage drinking since the 1984 legislation that raised the drinking age nationally to 21.
Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said he would soon hold hearings on the issue.
But the recommendation to raise taxes and regulate advertising encountered immediate resistance from groups representing alcohol makers and distributors.
"The only clear results from increasing beer excise taxes are higher unemployment and higher prices for responsible adults," said Jeff Becker, president of the Beer Institute. "Such measures do nothing to lower teen drinking."
But people concerned about underage drinking, including Wendy Hamilton, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, insisted tax increases would reduce consumption by price-sensitive youths.
She also agreed with the report's finding that alcohol is less expensive today than it was in the 1960s and '70s, when factoring in inflation.
"It only makes sense to adjust (taxes) according to inflation," said George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest."

Alcohol Industry to Change Advertising Guidelines
JOIN Together Online, September 10, 2003
"The beer and liquor industry have agreed to make changes to their advertising guidelines to prevent minors from viewing their ads, Advertising Age reported Sept. 9.
The Beer Institute said brewers would only buy ads in media with an audience comprised of 70 percent adults. Currently, the standard is 51 percent.
In addition, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said it would establish a pre-review process for ads. However, members' use of the process would be voluntary.
The alcohol industry made its announcement soon after two reports requested by the U.S. Congress were released on underage drinking.
A report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) looked at the impact of ads for alcopops. The flavored malt beverages are believed to be popular with minors. However, the FTC report found "no evidence of alcohol companies targeting underage consumers."
But a report from the National Academy of Science found that alcohol ads are made "in a style that is attractive" to young people and that the ads are reaching underage drinkers."

Report Urges Tax Hike, Other Steps to Reduce Teen Drinking
JOIN Together Online, September 10, 2003
"A report issued by the Institute of Medicine urges federal and state governments, parents, and the alcohol industry to take major steps to stop teen drinking, the Associated Press reported Sept. 9.
Among the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine panel are higher federal and state taxes on alcoholic beverages, stricter state drinking laws, improved state identification cards, and better policies for detecting and stopping underage drinking parties.
In addition, Richard J. Bonnie, a professor at the University of Virginia and chairman of the committee that prepared the analysis, said that parents and other adults should avoid behavior that would encourage underage drinking.
He said a "comprehensive program involving all sectors of society and a common acceptance of responsibility" is needed.
According to the report, underage drinking costs Americans $53 billion a year in losses from crime, traffic crashes, and academic failure.
The Institute of Medicine is a health-policy advisory center affiliated with the National Academies of Science, an independent organization that provides advice to the government under charter by the U.S. Congress."

Landmark Underage Drinking Report Hailed by Field, Denounced by Industry
JOIN Together Online, September 10, 2003
"A much-anticipated report on underage drinking, released this week, called for cooperation between the alcohol industry, health organizations, governments, parents, and others to combat what the authors called the nation's biggest youth drug problem.
However, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report also called for raising excise taxes on alcohol to discourage drinking, a recommendation that led some alcohol industry leaders to immediately try to torpedo the document.
The report by a panel of the NAS' National Research Council called for broad cooperation on a wide range of measures, including beefed-up compliance checks of alcohol servers and vendors, mandatory server training, improved ID cards, age verification for Internet alcohol sales, and a national media campaign targeting underage alcohol use.
Moreover, the panel called on the alcohol industry to reform its voluntary advertising codes, saying that "a substantial portion of alcohol advertising reaches an underage audience or is presented in a style that is attractive to youth." The group also called on the industry to fund an independent, nonprofit foundation to prevent underage drinking, rather than funding its own, untested prevention messages..."
(fulltext of article)
Related Article
See the NAS Report and article

Assault on Youths' Drinking Urged
WallStreetJournal.com, September 9, 2003
"An influential federal science panel proposed a national assault on underage drinking, combining higher taxes on beer and liquor, limits on advertising and availability, and a major media campaign.
The National Academy of Sciences study is expected to provide new ammunition for state and federal lawmakers who have sought higher excise taxes on alcohol. So far, most efforts to raise "sin taxes" have failed in the face of opposition by politically powerful liquor interests.
An 'Enormous' Cost
"The consequence and cost of youthful alcohol use are enormous," the study found, from alcohol-related auto accidents to violence, sexual assault, and educational failure. It estimated the annual tab for underage drinking at $53 billion -- which includes $19 billion for auto accidents alone -- an amount "far exceeding the cost of youthful use of illegal drugs."
The beer and liquor industries assailed the study, calling its authors biased against the industry and claiming that the industry's long-standing efforts to curtail underage drinking were largely ignored. "The panel is stacked with neo-prohibitionists" and the tax proposals in particular are meant to cut overall consumption, not just underage drinking, said John Doyle, director of the American Beverage Institute, a restaurant trade group based here..."
(fulltext of article)

Report Urges Tax Hike, Other Steps to Reduce Teen Drinking
Face Daily News, September 10, 2003
"A report issued by the Institute of Medicine urges federal and state governments, parents, and the alcohol industry to take major steps to stop teen drinking, the Associated Press reported Sept. 9.
Among the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine panel are higher federal and state taxes on alcoholic beverages, stricter state drinking laws, improved state identification cards, and better policies for detecting and stopping underage drinking parties.
In addition, Richard J. Bonnie, a professor at the University of Virginia and chairman of the committee that prepared the analysis, said that parents and other adults should avoid behavior that would encourage underage drinking.
He said a "comprehensive program involving all sectors of society and a common acceptance of responsibility" is needed.
According to the report, underage drinking costs Americans $53 billion a year in losses from crime, traffic crashes, and academic failure.
The Institute of Medicine is a health-policy advisory center affiliated with the National Academies of Science, an independent organization that provides advice to the government under charter by the U.S. Congress."

Alcohol advertisers to help keep messages from kids
USA Today, September 10, 2003
"Beer and distilled spirits industries responded to two government reports on alcohol marketing released Tuesday by announcing tighter standards on how and where they advertise.
Member companies of the Beer Institute and the Distilled Spirits Council now will place ads only in media with an audience at least 70% adult. The previous minimum was 50%, set in 1999 following an earlier Federal Trade Commission report on the same topic.
The tighter codes were announced following reports on alcohol by the Federal Trade Commission and the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine and National Research.
The FTC report found the industries 99% compliant with the earlier standards. The NAS report, however, advocated more alcohol restrictions, including higher taxes, ads against underage drinking and more review of alcohol ads.
"Both reports say there is an awful lot of advertising that is reaching kids," says David Jernigan, research director at Georgetown University's Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youths. "We're happy there's been movement on behalf of the industry, but there's still an awful lot kids are exposed to."
Advertising for beer, wines and spirits topped $1.9 billion in 2002, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Most already was spent on TV, magazines, and radio with audiences at the 70% minimum..."
(fulltext of article)

Study calls on society to battle underage drinking
CNN.com, September 10, 2003
"Underage drinking is a $53 billion problem that needs society-wide treatment, including higher alcohol taxes and tougher sales laws, a new analysis says.
"This is a complex challenge ... to reduce and prevent underage drinking in a society in which drinking is common among adults," Richard J. Bonnie, chairman of the committee that prepared the new report for the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, said Tuesday.
Calling its report a wake-up call, the Institute urged a number of steps to curb underage drinking, including higher federal and state taxes, better state identification cards and more aggressive efforts to detect and stop underage drinking parties.
At the same time the report was being issued, the alcoholic beverage industry promised to increasingly target its advertising away from youth.
The Beer Institute and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said their members plan to limit advertising to media with a 70 percent adult audience. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Louisiana, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called the move "responsible and appropriate."
The current standard is over 50 percent adults; the Federal Trade Commission issued its own report Tuesday saying the industry has improved to 99 percent compliance with that standard.
"This report is clearly recognition of our industry's commitment to responsible advertising and marketing," said Peter H. Cressy, president of the Distilled Spirits Council.
The FTC study was requested by Congress because of concern that flavored alcoholic malt beverages were being targeted at youth. The commission concluded that was not the case..."
(fulltext of article)
See this artilce also from The New York Times

FTC Report Cites Improvements in Alcohol Industry Self-Regulation
Daily Alcohol News, September 9, 2003
"In response to a request from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and hearings by House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Frank R. Wolf, the Federal Trade Commission today issued a Report on Alcohol Marketing and Advertising. The Report examines whether advertising for flavored malt beverages (FMBs) -- beverages that combine characteristics of beer and distilled spirits -- is targeted to underage consumers, as well as whether the alcohol industry has implemented self-regulatory recommendations made in the FTC's 1999 Alcohol Report to Congress. The FTC conducted an investigation of nine major alcohol advertisers, analyzing their advertisements, marketing plans, and consumer research. The Report's analysis indicates significant improvement in standards for the placement of alcohol ads, as well as improvement in the adoption of external advertising review mechanisms. The Report also found no evidence of targeting underage consumers in the FMB market. The FTC's Report concludes that while advertising self-regulation is designed to reduce the number of ads seen by minors, a comprehensive alcohol policy also must address underage access to alcohol..."
(fulltext of article)

Metro Briefing: New Jersey
The New York Times, September 8, 2003
"CAMDEN: ALCOHOL TEST DEBATED Lawyers representing suspected drunken drivers have challenged the use of a new machine to measure blood-alcohol levels that police officers in Pennsauken have been using in a pilot program since December 2001. The new test, called the Alcotest 7110 MKIII-C, uses two measures for alcohol content in the blood - infrared absorption and fuel cell tests - which the manufacturers say reduces human error in determining whether a driver has had too much to drink. Defense lawyers and Camden County prosecutors have been arguing the merits of the test in a hearing in State Superior Court that began yesterday, but the case is expected to end up in the New Jersey Supreme Court."
Metro Briefing: New Jersey

Evaluation: Getting Personal, With Alcohol
The New York Times, September 9, 2003
"A new study indicates that the first National Alcohol Screening Day, observed four years ago at hundreds of sites nationwide, has been characterized a success, both in terms of attendance and results.
More than 32,000 people attended the event in 1999, and two-thirds of a sample of participants surveyed later said they had quit drinking or cut back as a result.
According to the study, which was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, more than half of the people who went to screening sites - on 500 college campuses and at 1,500 other community locations around the country - completed questionnaires meant to identify hazardous or harmful drinking levels or physical dependence on alcohol.
About 6,000 of them spoke to health care workers, who reviewed the results and recommended further evaluation.
A follow-up survey of about 700 participants found that half of those screened at sites other than college campuses discussed their drinking with their doctors, as suggested at the events.
Among those who said they had changed their drinking habits, 22 percent said they had quit entirely and 28 percent said they had cut back to safe levels. The study's lead author, Dr. Shelly F. Greenfield of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., said that even if the figures were approached with some skepticism, "it's likely that most of those people had changed their behavior to some degree."
Evaluation: Getting Personal, With Alcohol

Australian Summit Addresses Alcohol Culture
JOIN TOGETHER Online, September 4, 2003
"Speakers at an alcohol summit held in Australia say that if the country wants to curb alcohol-related illnesses, it will have to work on changing the culture surrounding alcohol, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Aug. 27.
In opening the summit, Premier Bob Carr called on ministers to change a culture that promotes drinking.
"We're not here to stop people drinking, to curb enjoyment, or impose unnecessary regulation on an industry that employs more than 60,000 people in pubs, clubs, and bars alone," said Carr. "But let's ask the questions: 'Is it mateship to let your friend keep drinking when he's clearly already drunk? Is it funny to watch him pick a fight with a passer-by? Is it part of the Australian tradition to watch your mate downing schooner after schooner when you know his wife and kids are afraid of him? What sort of mateship allows a group of girls to go out drinking and do nothing when a friend gets in a car with a stranger who's been drinking?'"
In particular, Carr cited alcohol advertising that seems clearly aimed at young men despite the country's voluntary alcohol-advertising codes..."
(fulltext of article)

Diageo outlook lifts spirits
BBC News, UK Edition
"Diageo, the world's biggest wines and spirits group, has reported a 6% rise in profits.
Full year pre-tax profits at the firm jumped to £2.156bn ($3.38bn) for the year to June 30, largely in line with market forecasts of £2.08-2.19bn.
The firm, which makes Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker scotch and Guinness beer, said trading had improved in North America, Britain and Spain.
It also saw a 45% increase in sales of Pimm's in the UK, during the recent hot spell.
But the company warned it faced tough trading in Ireland for its beer business and in Latin America from currency and political upheavals.
Chief executive Paul Walsh said: "There are signs that things are starting to improve, but it is too early to call it a broadly based recovery.
"We are optimistic but cautious."
He added he saw no trading improvement in Ireland and Latin America this financial year.
The firm suffered difficult conditions in the early months of the year, blaming the Iraq war, the Sars outbreak and a general slowdown in consumer spending.
Sales of its ready-to-drink products in the US and UK suffered as a result, it said.
By 0949GMT Diageo shares were 4.26p lower at 674.74p."
BBC NEWS | Business | Diageo outlook lifts spirits

Drink wine, not beer
Taipei Times, September 4, 2003
"Spanish officials looking for a way to stamp out binge drinking by young people have decided to warn them that all alcohol is bad except wine, which is good for them. Drinkers will soon encounter strictly worded health warnings on all bottles and cans of alcohol, except wine, telling them that what they are about to consume is a "danger" to their lives. The Spanish government is supporting plans to promote wine as "an important part of the Mediterranean diet." Wine's exclusion from the draft of the new law has enraged beer and cider makers who say that, with their much lower alcohol content, these drinks are less harmful."

University Ends Alcohol-Awareness Program
FACE Daily News, September 3, 2003
"As a result of budget cuts, the University of Illinois will no longer offer Alcohol 101, a computer program that educates students about the consequences of drinking, the Daily Illini reported Sept. 3.
Since 1999, the university has been providing freshmen with the CD-ROM program at the beginning of each school year. Alcohol 101 simulates a party environment where students can see how different alcoholic drinks with varying alcohol content can affect them.
"We just didn't have the resources to continue the program," said Dean of Students Bill Riley. "It was more costly than we could handle."
Riley said that he and other school officials are concerned that without the program, students would not receive information on curbing alcohol use.
"The CD provided information that students may not otherwise have had, such as how to assist in an emergency or how to act if a friend was misusing alcohol," he said..."
(fulltext of article)

Marketing the Mall
Washington Post, September 3, 2003
"...We ask this question knowing full well that the participatory events, sports clinics and autograph sessions with famous former NFL stars are great fun and the kind of buildup certainly fitting for the launch of the 2003 season. As a marketing tool, a four-day spectacle, including a concert paying tribute to the U.S. military, is probably good for professional football and the promoters of Pepsi. It certainly will be a nice celebration for the NFL's 2,000 VIP guests invited to the Thursday night concert. The Park Service has given the NFL permission to serve wine and Coors beer to its special Mall guests -- Coors being an event sponsor. Regular concertgoers will be screened and no alcohol will be allowed.
And so onto the Mall -- a space that, as the National Park Service observes, is as old as the capital city itself, one commissioned by George Washington and planned by Pierre L'Enfant to be an "ideal stage for national expressions of remembrance, observance and protest" -- comes now Pepsi Vanilla, the National Football league, and Coors beer. Is this the beginning, or will it be, mercifully, the beginning of the end for a trend out of control?"
(fulltext of article)