Oral

Alcohol use is associated with an array of health and social problems, including drinking and driving, crime, and alcohol-related injury and mortality. Whereas a large number of studies have found that a various alcohol policies are associated with lower levels of alcohol use and related problems, these policies need to be enforced to make them effective. The literature on enforcement theory suggests that individuals are more likely to comply with a law if they believe there is a certainty of getting caught and the penalty is severe and swiftly applied. Although studies of effects of alcohol policies have indicated the importance of including measures of alcohol enforcement, most have not included enforcement measures, likely due to lack of adequate data. The presentations in this session examine a diverse set of alcohol enforcement topics, overlapping in that they all report data from national surveys of state and/or local law enforcement agencies collected through a NIH-funded project designed to examine policy, enforcement, and alcohol-related outcomes. Presentations include: (1) priorities of agencies and associations with enforcement actions, (2) use of underage compliance checks, (3) enforcement of laws pertaining to adult provision of alcohol to minors, (4) enforcement actions to combat over-service of alcohol, and (5) drinking and driving enforcement. In each presentation we will discuss implications for improving alcohol enforcement across different types of agencies in order to prevent and reduce alcohol-related problems.

Session Objectives: 1. Explain the importance of measuring alcohol enforcement actions across different types of enforcement agencies. 2. Describe specific enforcement actions conducted by law enforcement agencies and how they vary by state and locality.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)