STAGE 5. Defining the action plan

What steps should be completed?

Step 1: Specify intervention actions

REGULATORY MEASURES FOR ADVERTISING AND ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO*

Banning alcohol and tobacco advertising

Exposure to alcohol advertising increases the likelihood that adolescents will start drinking and can raise levels of consumption among people who drink. Advertising and promoting tobacco products also encourages people to start smoking. Conversely, banning tobacco advertising prevents smoking.

Increasing the price of tobacco and alcohol

There is strong evidence to suggest that raising alcohol and tobacco prices reduces consumption, both by the general population and among adolescents. In the case of alcohol, this measure seems to affect both moderate consumers and people who consume large amounts or abusively. A rise in the price of alcohol is also associated with a decline in violence. Increasing the price of tobacco also reduces the prevalence of use (the number of smokers). 

Increasing the legal minimum age for alcohol and tobacco consumption/sales

Increasing the legal minimum age for drinking alcohol (the World Health Organization recommends at least 18 years of age) clearly reduces consumption and its associated problems in adolescents, especially road traffic accidents.¹ However, there is no conclusive data on the effect of increasing retailers’ legal liability for their customers’ alcohol consumption.

The effects of this measure are less clear for tobacco, although general actions that achieve a high degree of compliance by vendors with restrictions on sales can affect tobacco consumption by young people, especially girls, and by those who have left experimentation behind (others often access tobacco through friends).

Reduce the density of points of sale

A higher density of alcohol outlets is associated with higher levels of drinking in young people, increased aggression,^2,3 more pedestrian injuries,⁴ higher levels of drunkenness and increased property damage in the community.⁵ Conversely, setting limits on the number of alcohol outlets reduces alcohol consumption and many problems associated with it, especially in young people.⁶

Limiting times and/or days of sale

Restricting availability by setting limitations on sales times and days reduces alcohol consumption and related problems, including assaults and homicides.^{7, 8.9}

Accompanying legislative measures with other elements, especially intense community action, can be particularly successful.¹⁰ The following factors are associated with alcohol and tobacco regulations functioning well and effectively:

GOOD FUNCTIONING

Increasing the price of alcohol and tobacco through taxes. Increasing the legal minimum age for the sale of alcohol and tobacco. Preventing the sale of tobacco and alcohol to minors with programmes that include active policies to enforce the law and raise vendor awareness by various strategies (personal contacts, information materials, etc.). Prohibiting tobacco advertising in general, and alcohol advertising aimed at young people.

 

* Based on International Standards on Drug Use Prevention (UNODC). 

 

References:

1 Waagenar AC & Toomey TL (2002). Effects of minimum drinking age laws: review and analysis of the literature from 1960 to 2000. Journal of Studies on Alcohol (Suppl.). 1(1), 31-49.

2 Babor T et al. (2003). Alcohol no ordinary commodity: Research and Public policy. New York: Oxford University Press.

3 Norstrom T. (2000). Outlet density and criminal violence in Norway, 1960–1995. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 61:907–911.

4 Lascala EA, Johnson FW & Gruenewald PJ. (2001). Neighborhood characteristics of alcohol-related pedestrian injury collisions: a geostatistical analysis. Prevention Science. 2(2):123–134.

5 Donnelly N et al. (2006). Liquor outlet concentrations and alcohol-related neighborhood problems. Alcohol Studies Bulletin, 8.

6 Port T, Caetano R, Casswell S et al. (2010). Alcohol: A product of non-ordinary consumption. Research and public policies. Washington: Pan American Health Organization.

7 Livingston M, Chikritzhs T & Room R. (2007). Changing the density of alcohol outlets to reduce alcohol-related problems. Drug and Alcohol Review. 26:557–566.

8 Chikritzhs T et al. (2007). Predicting alcohol-related harms from licensed outlet density: A feasibility study. Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA: National Drug Research Institute.

9 Duailibi S et al. (2007). The effect of restricting opening hours on alcohol related violence. American Journal of Public Health. 97(12):2276–2280.

10 Forster JL, Murray DM, Wolfson M et al. (1998). The effects of community policies to reduce youth access to tobacco. American Journal of Public Health. 88(8), 1193-1198.