Abstract
Introduction: Policy changes may contribute to increased alcohol-related risks to populations. These include privatisation of alcohol retailing, which influences density of alcohol outlets, location of outlets, hours of sale and prevention of alcohol sales to minors or intoxicated customers. Meta-analyses, reviews and original research indicate enhanced access to alcohol is associated with elevated risk of and actual harm. We assess the 10 Canadian provinces on two alcohol policy domains—type of alcohol control system and physical availability of alcohol—in order to track changes over time, and document shifting changes in alcohol policy. Methods: Our information was based on government documents and websites, archival statistics and key informant interviews. Policy domains were selected and weighted for their degree of effectiveness and population reach based on systematic reviews and epidemiological evidence. Government representatives were asked to validate all the information for their jurisdiction. Results: The province-specific reports based on the 2012 results showed that 9 of 10 provinces had mixed retail systems—a combination of government-run and privately owned alcohol outlets. Recommendations in each provincial report were to not increase privatisation. However, by 2017 the percentage of off-premise private outlets had increased in four of these nine provinces, with new private outlet systems introduced in several. Discussion and Conclusions: Decision-making protocols are oriented to commercial interests and perceived consumer convenience. If public health and safety considerations are not meaningfully included in decision-making protocols on alcohol policy, then it will be challenging to curtail or reduce harms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 459-467 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Drug and Alcohol Review |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The first project, ‘Reducing Alcohol-Related Problems by Implementing Evidence-based Tools that Translate Research Knowledge into Prevention Practice’ (Principal Investigator: NG), was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The authors also acknowledge funding from Health Canada Substance Use and Addictions Program for the project ‘Promoting health and reducing harm through public policy and citizen engagement- Alcohol Stream’ (Principal Investigator: TS). The authors also acknowledge the input they received from stakeholders in 12 of the 13 jurisdictions (in the second project) who kindly participated in interviews. The feedback they provided on the selected domains and indicators helped shape the scoring rubric. Their advice on the dissemination strategy for this series of reports will greatly improve our capacity to facilitate greater knowledge translation. The authors gratefully acknowledge receipt of data from the Provincial and Territorial Liquor Boards and Regulators, and the Ministries of Finance and Health, and the other Ministries responsible for the control and sale of alcohol. The information they provided was critical to the analyses employed. The authors thank Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada and the lead author Robert Solomon for permission to use materials collected for their 16 April 2018, Provincial and Territorial Legislative Review. The authors acknowledge the feedback on the policy domains, weightings and scoring template provided by Tom Greenfield, Esa Österberg and Robin Room, on the first project, and the feedback on these issues by Robyn Burton, Tanya Chikritzhs and Toben Nelson on the second project. The authors especially wish to thank Parnell Davis-MacNevin, Marianne Dube, Denise DePape, Ann Dowsett Johnston, Andrew Muire, Caitlin Stockwell and Robert Strang for their contributions to the project. The in-kind support provided by our co-investigators' organisations is gratefully acknowledged. TS received research funds and travel expenses from both the Swedish (Systembolaget) and Finnish (ALKO) government retail alcohol monopolies for the conduct of research into the impacts of their policies on alcohol consumption and related harm. With regard to RM's contributions, support has been provided by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for the salary of scientists and infrastructure. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the perspectives or policies of the persons or organisations acknowledged.
Funding Information:
The first project, ‘Reducing Alcohol‐Related Problems by Implementing Evidence‐based Tools that Translate Research Knowledge into Prevention Practice’ (Principal Investigator: NG), was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The authors also acknowledge funding from Health Canada Substance Use and Addictions Program for the project ‘Promoting health and reducing harm through public policy and citizen engagement‐ Alcohol Stream’ (Principal Investigator: TS). The authors also acknowledge the input they received from stakeholders in 12 of the 13 jurisdictions (in the second project) who kindly participated in interviews. The feedback they provided on the selected domains and indicators helped shape the scoring rubric. Their advice on the dissemination strategy for this series of reports will greatly improve our capacity to facilitate greater knowledge translation. The authors gratefully acknowledge receipt of data from the Provincial and Territorial Liquor Boards and Regulators, and the Ministries of Finance and Health, and the other Ministries responsible for the control and sale of alcohol. The information they provided was critical to the analyses employed. The authors thank Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada and the lead author Robert Solomon for permission to use materials collected for their 16 April 2018, Provincial and Territorial Legislative Review. The authors acknowledge the feedback on the policy domains, weightings and scoring template provided by Tom Greenfield, Esa Österberg and Robin Room, on the first project, and the feedback on these issues by Robyn Burton, Tanya Chikritzhs and Toben Nelson on the second project. The authors especially wish to thank Parnell Davis‐MacNevin, Marianne Dube, Denise DePape, Ann Dowsett Johnston, Andrew Muire, Caitlin Stockwell and Robert Strang for their contributions to the project. The in‐kind support provided by our co‐investigators' organisations is gratefully acknowledged. TS received research funds and travel expenses from both the Swedish (Systembolaget) and Finnish (ALKO) government retail alcohol monopolies for the conduct of research into the impacts of their policies on alcohol consumption and related harm. With regard to RM's contributions, support has been provided by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for the salary of scientists and infrastructure. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the perspectives or policies of the persons or organisations acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Health(social science)
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
