Presentation Transcript

1. NZ Government failure, Alcohol harm remains, What to do? Edinburgh September 27th 2013 Doug Sellman Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine National Addiction Centre University of Otago, Christchurch doug.sellman@otago.ac.nz
2. Alcohol Action NZ Medical Spokespeople - Professor Geoffrey Robinson Wellington - Professor Doug Sellman Christchurch - Professor Jennie Connor Dunedin Scientific evidence www.alcoholaction.co.nz
3. The Old New Zealand Way of Life 25% of New Zealand drinkers are heavy drinkers A third of all police apprehensions involve alcohol Half of serious violent crimes relate to alcohol Up to 75% of adult presentations at Emergency Departments on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are alcohol-related Over 500 serious injury traffic crashes every year Up to 3000 children born with FASD every year 70,000 alcohol-related physical and sexual assaults each year
4. What is New Zealand’s heavy drinking culture? The set of collective attitudes and behaviour of the 700,000 heavy drinkers (AUDIT) The extent is denied and obfuscated by the alcohol industry in public, but strategically planned for in private Over half the profit derived from them
5. Where we Where we need Not here! are now to get to Excessive Effective Prohibition Free Market Regulation
6. “The unbridled commercialisation of alcohol…” Sir Geoffrey Palmer
7. Alcohol in our lives: Curbing the Harm April 2010
8. The 5+ Solution Raise alcohol prices Raise the purchase age Reduce alcohol accessibility Reduce advertising and sponsorship Increase drink-driving counter-measures PLUS: Increase treatment opportunities for heavy drinkers Based on Babor et al (2003, 2010)Confirmed by Anderson et al (2009)
9. Five main reforms End ultra cheap alcohol End teenage purchase of alcohol 3. End highly accessible alcohol 4. End alcohol advertising and sponsorship 5. End legal drunk driving
10. How effective are these reforms? Effectiveness (0, +, ++, +++) 1. (Minimum pricing) and excise tax increases +++ 2. Raise purchase age to 20 years +++ 3. Reduce liquor outlets (supermarkets) ++ 4. Dismantle advertising and sponsorship+/++ 5. Lower driving limit from 0.08 to 0.05+++ Alcohol education programmes 0
11. Five threats identified in Philip Morris’ internal documents 1. Increases in alcohol taxes 2. Increases in the legal drinking age 3. Restrictions on alcohol sales 4. Restrictions on alcohol advertising and marketing and enforced health warnings 3. Lowering blood alcohol concentrations for driving
12. Philip Morris’ strategy to counter new alcohol reforms “Stress alcohol education programs and messages so as to develop public policy from a framework of education and responsible drinking, as opposed to one of control” Miller Brewing Company - Five-year plan 1992-1996
13. Prepared PR phrases for Philip Morris and Miller Brewing Company representatives “The majority of people who drink do so responsibly” and “it would be unfair to penalize the majority to pay for the actions of a few”
14. Rt Hon John Key Prime Minister “We know there are a lot of responsible drinkers in New Zealand and we don't want to unduly affect them”
15. Combination of effectiveness and public support of these reforms Effectiveness Public Support (0, +, ++, +++) % 1. Raise the price +++ 76 2. Raise purchase age +++ 87 3. Reduce liquor availability ++ 65 - 98 4. Dismantle marketing +/++ 77 - 96 5. Lower drink driving limit +++ 65 - 75*
16. The Alcohol NON-Reform Bill 1. Price NOTHING 2. Purchase age – maintain 18years for both on-licence NOTHINGand for off-licence 3. Alcohol availability – no alcohol from convenience stores COULD YIELD & voluntary local alcohol plansSOMETHING 4. Advertising and sponsorship - some limited restriction ofTINKERING advertising to minors only 5. Drink driving limits NOTHING
17. Four major barriers to effective alcohol reform 2. 1. 3. 4. No clear alternative being offered by the Labour Party at this point
18. Tobacco Alcohol
19. Summary We have a national alcohol crisis, our heavy drinking culture, causing considerable damage, including and especially, to babies and children in New Zealand There are five evidence-based reforms that would make a difference to reducing the damage A large majority of the public support these reforms The government has been captured by vested interests (the alcohol industry) by not including these reforms in the woefully weak Alcohol Reform Bill
20. Where to from here? If we want a better society we have to become more active about alcohol: - In our personal lives - Alcohol law reform (the first 5 points of the 5+ Solution) - In clinical practice (the Plus of the 5+ Solution)
21. The 5+ Solution Raise alcohol prices Raise the purchase age Reduce alcohol accessibility Reduce advertising and sponsorship Increase drink-driving counter-measures PLUS: Increase treatment opportunities for heavy drinkers Based on Babor et al (2003, 2010)Confirmed by Anderson et al (2009)
22. Halve the Harm from Alcoholby 2025 A coalition statement of organisations, societies, groups, colleges, sections and associations throughout New Zealand for the incoming Government 2014 on the need for effective alcohol law reform in order to halve the harm from alcohol use over the next 5-10 years.
23. (Draft) Ten Policies Establish key performance indicators Minimum price (16c/gm) like in Scotland Immediate 50% increase in excise tax then further strategic increases as recommended by the NZ Law Commission Purchase age of 19 years Swedish hours of alcohol trading Cap number of liquor outlets and sinking lid French LoiEvin over next five years Australian BAC (0.05) Incentivize primary care services to undertake screening/BI Retain the right to regulate alcohol in all trade agreements