CANBERRA National Forum IS IT Time to raise the drinking age to 21?

1. CANBERRA National Forum IS IT Time to raisethe drinking age to 21? Professor John W.Toumbourou, PhD Professor John W. Toumbourou, PhD Chair in Health Psychology, Deakin University Chair in Health Psychology, Deakin University Honourary Research Fellow, Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Chief Executive Officer, Communities That Care Ltd., Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Australia

2. Why is an academic supporting this change?

3. The International Youth Development Study

5. Establish which areas of the large prevention science investment in the U.S. may be relevant in Australia Compare rates of health & behaviour outcomes in Washington State and Victoria – in particular substance use, antisocial behaviour and mental health Compare the longitudinal influence of a range of risk & protective factors - in particular how families, schools, communities and peer groups influence young people's behaviour Compare the developmental impact of alcohol and drug policies that emphasise abstinence or harm minimisation in the two states Data collection funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) R01-DA012140-05 Original Aims

6. Student Recruitment – Wave 1 in 2002State representative cohorts in Grade 5, 7 & 9 Victoria (VIC) Washington (WA) Eligible sample (N) 3949 3859 Participation rate (%) 73.0 74.8 Final sample (N) 2884 2885 Retention W3 (2004) = 98%

7. Lifetime Alcohol Use * * * * * * 5 7 9 5 7 9 Males Females Victoria Washington

8. Victorian IYDS and USA Monitoring the Future:High school graduates substance use past 30 days

9. AUDIT1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? Never (0) to 4 or more times a week (4)2. How many drinks do you have on a typical day when you drink? 1 or 2 (0) to 10 or more (4)3. How often do you have 6 or more drinks on one occasion? 4. How often during the last year have you found that you are unable to stop drinking once you had started? 5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was expected from you because of drinking? 6. How often during the last year have you needed a drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session? 7. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after a drink? 8. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking? Never (0) to Daily or almost daily (4)9. Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking? 10. Has a relative, a friend, or a doctor or other health worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested that you cut down on your drinking? No (0) Yes, during the last year (4)

10. AUDIT scores histogram N = 2,085 AUDIT 8+ All = 42.6%, (95CI 40.1 – 45.1%) Males = 50.5% (95CI 47.1 – 53.9%) Females = 35.8% (95CI 32.4 – 39.2%)

11. Is there any debate that youth alcohol use is a problem?

12. Would raising the drinking age reduce youth alcohol problems?

13. Australia Shults R. A, Elder R. W., Sleet DA, et al., 2001, American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Figure 3. Canada

14. Monitoring The Future, 2003 Binge Drinking From the early 1980s age 21 was introduced in all US states. Binge drinking declined ten percentage points (down 25%). During this same period binge drinking increased in Australia, UK, and Nth Europe, moving down into younger ages.

15. Is it feasible?

16. 6. The appropriateness of the current legal age for consumption of alcohol

17. Reasons for raising the minimum drinking age • rising rates of youth violent offending and alcohol related-harm • evidence that in the early twenties the brain is still developing and therefore vulnerable to damage through common patterns of youth alcohol use • solutions such as taxation and regulation are not included in any major political party platform • support for this policy change has increased to 50.2% of Australians

18. Victoria Maine Oregon Parents the main source Alcohol industry sources Male binge drinking rates

19. Victoria higher Washington higher McMorris et al, 2011

20. Is it feasible? • South Australia • scientific evidence that in the early twenties the brain is still developing and therefore vulnerable to damage through common patterns of youth alcohol use • solutions such as taxation and regulation are not included in any major political party platform • support for this policy change has increased to 50.2% of Australians

21. Building a case for minimum drinking age reform • the problem is sufficient to warrant “politically led” cultural change • legislative change has evidence that it would significantly impact the problem • legislative change would address underlying influences that are driving harmful youth alcohol use

22. Is youth alcohol use a problem?

23. Australia currently has high rates of youth alcohol use and a trend for use at younger ages • Australian school survey • National Drug Strategy Household Survey • Premier’s Drug Prevention Council

24. The patterns of youth alcohol use are of concern • The majority of the alcohol consumed by young people is drunk at levels that exceed the recommended levels for adults • Research associates current adolescent binge drinking patterns with brain damage • We currently have the largest cohort of young women binge drinkers in our history

25. increasing the drinking age is not the only thing we need to change

26. but what ever else we need to raise the drinking age