Debra Furr-Holden, PhD

Alcohol Outlets and Problems in Baltimore: What the Data Say, What the Data Can’t Say, and Where Do We Go from Here? Debra Furr-Holden, PhD

C. Debra Furr-Holden, PhDAssistant Professor and Director Drug Investigations, Violence & Environmental (DIVE) Studies Laboratory JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health 111 Market Place Baltimore, MD 21202 Suite 850 dholden@jhsph.edu www.divestudies.com

Alcohol Systems in Baltimore • Establishments • Zoning • Board of Liquor License Commissioners • Article 2B of the Maryland State Annotated Code

Alcohol Systems in Baltimore • Enforcement • Board of Liquor License Commissioners • BCPD • Maryland State Police • Maryland Sherriff's Office

Alcohol Systems in Baltimore • Treatment  Mental Health/Drug Treatment • Federal provisions • Maryland State ADAA regulation • Local (BSAS) coordination • Community Treatment Providers

How We Use Data to Impact Policy/Enforcement2 Examples from the Field

Alcohol Zoning Enforcement • Process evaluation for the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City • Review of State Article 2b which states no alcohol outlet can be within 300 feet of church or a school • Queried alcohol outlet database • Acquired school data from BC MOIT • Triangulated school, outlet, local data (crime and violence), youth self-report data

Data is a MAJOR issue • Most data was not available in electronic form • Location, type, owner information • Write over files, versus append data to files • Paper records for violations and transfers • Antiquated filing system • Under performing/unfriendly staff • Practices (not policies) that limit access

Liquor Outlets in Baltimore City

Liquor Outlets and Drug Hot Spots

Liquor Outlets & K-12 Schools

Liquor Outlets, K-12 Schools, & Drug Hot Spots

Targeting a Selected Area

A Closer Look

How did this happen??? • A simple oversight with no oversight • Does it really matter? Is there any real harm?

Alcohol Outlets Physical and Social Disorder Youth Exposure to VAOD Violent Behavior Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Alcohol Policy & Zoning Enforcement Conceptual Model

Multi-Variable Analysis Results among High School Youth • 9th -12th grade youth who attend schools that have at least one alcohol outlet within 300 feet of their school are • 4.5 times more likely to use drugs (OR 4.5; p=0.02) • 5 times more likely to report feeling unsafe on the walk to school (OR 5.3; p=0.03) • 8 times more likely to have witnessed a violent assault (OR 7.9, p=0.01)

Multi-Variable Analysis Results among 3rd-5th grade Youth • 3rd-5th grade youth who go to schools that have at least one alcohol outlet within 300 feet of their school are • 4 times more likely to walk to school (OR 4.3; p=0.04) (partly related to economics) • Almost 7 times more likely to report feeling unsafe on the walk to school (OR 6.8; p=0.03) • 4 times more likely to be depressed (OR 4.2; p=0.02) • 5 times more likely to report seeing people using drugs or getting drunk in their neighborhood (OR 5.2, p=0.01)

Outcomes to date • Presented data to Liquor Commissioners and City Council • Enforcement strategy in place • 5 outlets closed so far as a direct result of this work • Revision to the 300 foot rule – specification and possible expansion • Unexpected  Now alcohol outlets are on the radar  BD7 and Bottle Club laws  8 other outlets closed secondarily

Recent Alcohol Policy Work in Baltimore • AlcoPops Bill Passed in 2009 • Proposed revision to the 300 foot rule – specification and possible expansion • BD7 Laws • Bottle Club Laws • Billboard Laws – unenforced but on the radar • 13 alcohol bills in the State House in the 2010 session

the drinking environment around the homewood campus: Making a case for managing density

Baltimore City has 277 ecologically defined neighborhoods; 242 are residential

There are 1,277 licensed alcohol outlets in Baltimore City

The Homewood Campus is just north of Central Baltimore City

Put into Perspective….. • There are 97 alcohol outlets within the 1-mile buffer around the Homewood Campus • There are 41 alcohol outlets within the 1-mile buffer around the worse block in East Baltimore • There are 33 alcohol outlets within the 1-mile buffer around the worse block in West Baltimore • There are 25 alcohol outlets within the 1-mile buffer around Martin O’Malley’s former residence

Information on the 97 Licensed Alcohol Outlets around the Homewood Campus • Among these 97 licensed alcohol outlets: • One-third (30) sell packaged goods exclusively • The other two-thirds (67) sell alcohol on premises • Two-thirds (64) sell alcohol 7 days per week • Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s 95 of the 97 outlets sell alcohol 7 days a week

Calls for Service for ‘Intoxicated Person’ by Month in 2008 within 1-mile of the Homewood Campus

Potential Environmental Strategies •  Decrease the number of alcohol outlets in the surrounding area • Quote from Scribner et al (2009) Given the limited number of modifiable factors that affect college drinking, on-premise outlet density represents a potential modifiable means of addressing the problem. • Article 2b of the Maryland State Law has provisions for the distance alcohol outlets can be from a church or a school, perhaps similar legislation is needed to protect college students. •  Enforcement

Discussion • Data • People • Enforcement

Debra Furr-Holden, PhD