MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 9 May 2007

Alcohol Policies a Tragic Shame

A Massey University study found more 18 and 19 years olds have been involved in alcohol-related crashes and prosecuted for drinking and driving since the lowering of the minimum purchase age for alcohol. This is despite the continuation of campaigns and enforcement measures combating the drink-drive issue. Alcohol Healthwatch Director Rebecca Williams says that this just one of many examples that show our alcohol policies are not working.

The minimum purchase age for alcohol was lowered from 18 to 20 years, one of a number of changes to the Sale of Liquor Act in 1999. The purpose of that Act is to reduce alcohol-related harm, yet this study and numerous other reports show that changes to the law have done the exact opposite. Other changes to the Act over the last two decades have also gone against the objective of reducing harm.

Parliament voted against returning the age to 20 years in November 2006, opting instead for a review into the sale and supply to minors. Several years earlier they also passed up an opportunity to lower the Blood Alcohol Concentration for driving despite a high level of public support and strong evidence that the measure would help lower the road toll. These examples highlight the incongruence of policy decisions against policy objectives.

A report on adolescent health published in The Lancet online journal recently says that hazardous alcohol use alone has been estimated to cause 31.5% of all deaths in 15-29 year old men in the developed world. It also says that alcohol accounts for 18.5% of the global burden of disease in economically developed countries. (ref: www.thelancet.com/journals )

This kind of information, rising consumption and daily examples of alcohol-related tragedies puts significant pressure on policy makers to take a different approach in their response to the review of the sale and supply to minors, update of the National Alcohol Strategy and the recently completed review into alcohol advertising.

She says there will need to be a complete turnaround in our approach from ‘minimal’ control of alcohol to ‘effective’ control in order to reduce harm. Step one is prioritising the health and well-being of our population over commercial interest.

ENDS

Action on Liquor Campaign information and briefing papers (including topics Blood Alcohol Concentration, alcohol advertising and marketing, taxation, sale of liquor) be found at www.ahw.co.nz

Attachment: Minimum Purchase Age - T Huckle et al (PDF)

© Scoop Media