Policy options for prevention: The case of alcohol

Reducing the availability of alcohol through alcohol control policies such as excise taxes and the minimum legal drinking age has been effective in re ducing a wide range of alcohol-related problems, including traffic crashes, liver cirrhosis, and violence. Alcohol control policies may be classified i nto two overlapping categories-public and institutional policies. Some poli cies such as alcohol server training may be either mandated by governmental jurisdictions or voluntarily adopted by individual institutions, which inc lude alcohol retail establishments, other businesses, worksites, schools, c olleges/universities, law enforcement agencies, religious institutions, ins urance agencies, and alcohol producers. Public policies may be mandated by national, state/provincial, or local governments to regulate where, when, a nd how alcohol is sold and consumed. This paper describes the wide array of public and institutional policies available to reduce alcohol-related prob lems. Summaries of research evaluating specific alcohol control policies ar e provided when available.