Does less local control over alcohol policy making limit what cities can do to restrict malt liquor sales

Malt liquor is highly available in inner cities and is associated with heavier drinking, intoxication, more aggressive behavior, and public safety issues (e.g., public drinking, broken glass). Malt liquor is often targeted toward specific ethnic groups. We examined how much local authority cities have to restrict malt liquor sales (e.g., banning malt liquor sales, restricting sales of single containers of alcohol) in off-premise alcohol outlets. The specific aims of our study were to 1) identify the best measures for assessing how much authority cities have to adopt policies that restrict malt liquor sales, and 2) determine whether cities with greater local control over alcohol policy are more likely than cities with less local control to adopt policies to restrict malt liquor. Malt liquor policies were more common in cities with greater local control over alcohol policymaking, but were not uncommon in cities with less local control. For example, among cities with less control over alcohol policy making, about a quarter adopted policies to restrict malt liquor. Despite the idea that state pre-emption is often cited as a barrier in implementing alcohol policies, local governments with limited authority can successfully adopt alcohol policies to limit malt liquor sales.