Policies to reduce alcohol abuse

Dear Dr. Bill,
I guess that alcohol related problems will always be with us. Over the years there have been a lot of laws passed that are supposed to cut the amount of alcohol abuse and reduce the damage it causes. Have they had any effect?

Just Curious

Dear Just Curious,

Alcohol Alert, a publication of The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has provided a brief summary of the results of scientific studies designed to measure the effectiveness of certain policy interventions. Results due to the use of the following measures are quite interesting:

Alcohol Taxes: Researchers find that alcohol taxes and prices do affect the consumption and its consequences. Studies indicate that increases in the price of beer results in lower levels and frequency of drinking, particularly heavy drinking by youth. Higher beer taxes are associated with a reduced incidence of some types of crime and a lower traffic crash fatality rate, particularly amongst youth. But, higher prices do not seem to reduce consumption by the heaviest-drinking 5% of drinkers.

Raising the Minimal Legal Drinking Age (MLDA): Raising the MLDA has been accompanied by reduced alcohol consumption, traffic crashes, and related fatalities among those under 21. Nationwide studies find a significant decline in single-vehicle nighttime (SVN) fatal crashes - those most likely to involve alcohol - among drivers under 21 following increases in MLDA.

Zero-Tolerance Laws: The government now provide incentives for all States to adopt these laws which set maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAL) limits for drivers under 21 to 0.02% or lower. An analysis of the effects of these laws in the first 12 States to enact them found a 20% relative reduction in the proportion of SVN fatal crashes among drivers under 21 compared to states without these laws.

Other BAC Laws: Several states have lowered the BAC limits from 0.10 to 0.08%. One study found that States with the reduced limit experienced a 16% decline in the proportion of fatally injured drivers who BAC's were 0.08% or higher and an 18% decline in the proportion of fatal crashes involving fatally injured drivers whose BAC's were 0.15% or higher, relative to comparison States. (Expensive lobbying plus large contributions to New Jersey's politicians by the very wealthy liquor industry and the almost equally powerful restaurant/bar owners association have, so far, (pardon the grim pun), killed efforts to pass a bill).

Administrative License Revocation Laws: Laws permitting withdrawal of driving privileges without court action for driving with a BAC over the legal limit have been adopted by 38 States. Studies show a 6-9% reduction in nighttime fatal crashes.

Warning Labels: Mandated labels on alcohol containers aimed to inform drinkers that alcohol consumption can result in birth defects, impaired ability to drive or operate machinery and other health problems, enjoys a high public support. Awareness of the label's content has increased substantially over time. Perception of risks involved was high before labeling appeared and has not generally increased, nor have labels had important effects on hazardous behavior. One study of pregnant women did not find that labeling resulted in a decline of alcohol consumption among lighter drinkers but not among those that drank more heavily.

So, Curious, some laws are effective and do save lives. As to why those workable laws have not been enacted in all 50 States, I repeat what I have said many times before: "If you don't understand something, think of money!!"