Scientific basis for alcohol regulation

A substantial research literature supporting the effectiveness of a variety of alcoholic beverage regulations now exists. While some of these studies link alcohol regulations directly to measures of alcohol related harm, others focus on their effects on alcohol consumption measures only. For these, extensive research linking alcohol consumption measures to alcohol-related problems and morbidity and mortality outcomes is used to make this link. This presentation will provide an overview of these broad areas of the research literature with a focus on recent studies and reviews evaluating changes in alcohol regulations and on summarizing the potential impacts of removing or weakening particular regulations. The main areas of focus will be the privatization of government alcohol monopolies, the weakening of 3-tier laws prohibiting producers from selling directly to retailers and consumers and the expansion of the types of stores where alcohol can be sold. Additional findings relevant to these areas will also be included. For example, the effectiveness of government control systems operates in part through higher prices and other pricing regulations, reduced availability in terms of the number of stores and the hours they are open and more uniform enforcement of minimum age laws.