Healthy Christchurch Champions Tougher Alcohol Law

Healthy Christchurch
Media Release
17 September 2009

Healthy Christchurch Champions Lobby for Tougher Alcohol Laws

Introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol, restricting off-licence hours and lowering the legal drink driving blood alcohol limit are all measures supported by the Healthy Christchurch Champions to reduce the impact of alcohol in our community

Four of the seven Healthy Christchurch Champions met with Sir Geoffrey Palmer this morning (17 September) to discuss the Law Commission’s review on the reform of New Zealand’s liquor laws

Healthy Christchurch is a network of almost 200 organisations which work together to promote, protect and improve the health and well-being of the people of Christchurch

Champions Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker, Environment Canterbury Chair Sir Kerry Burke, Canterbury District Health Board Chair Alister James and Pegasus Health Chair Dr Martin Seers gave strong support to the proposal to introduce a minimum unit price

“By imposing minimum unit pricing at a retail level the price differential between on and off-licences would be reduced, thereby reducing some of the incentive for drinkers to pre-load at home before heading into town,” they told Sir Geoffrey

“There is a strong financial incentive for drinkers to pre-load and with liberal access to very cheap liquor from off-licences and there is a strong disincentive to drinking in controlled on-licence environments where the price tends to be higher.” “Raising the price of alcohol purchased through off-licences will restrict the number of alcohol units consumed, in particular by young people who tend to have limited discretionary income to purchase alcohol.” The Healthy Christchurch Champions said alcohol was a source of serious social problems in the community and much needed to be done to change attitudes towards alcohol and alcohol consumption

“Preventable deaths are an important measure of alcohol harm but the incidence of non-fatal alcohol related injuries in this country is of ever greater significance. Acute injury is one of our most significant health issues in relation to alcohol as each year thousands of New Zealanders are injured as a result of their own or somebody else’s drinking.” “Introducing a higher excise tax alone is not the answer to significantly influencing retail prices of draw-card alcohol, such as cheap packaged beer

There is anecdotal evidence that major alcohol retailers are pressuring manufacturers to absorb the effect of excise increases to preserve attractive retail prices and margins.” The Champions did, however, support an increase in excise tax if the funding was channelled for use in the screening and treatment of alcohol problems

The Champions supported 10pm closing for off-licences, saying it was not necessary for the community to have easy 24-hour access to alcohol as currently exists

“Alcohol is no ordinary commodity and needs to be treated differently in terms of availability, access and price to other grocery items such as bread, butter and milk. It has the potential to cause both immediate health harm such as alcohol poisoning and longer term health damage such as alcohol dependence, liver disease and a range of cancers.” “Healthy Christchurch is concerned about the availability of alcohol in our city and the associated alcohol-related harm. There needs to be an increased emphasis on providing an environment that is conducive to responsible drinking.” “We acknowledge there is no one solution for alcohol-related harm, however, there is growing community intolerance with the continuing rise in crime and violence fuelled by alcohol. What is clear is there needs to be dramatic change, particularly relating to the culture that has evolved around alcohol consumption and accessibility.” The Champions spoke of strong support for Christchurch’s Alcohol Accord and the one-way door which has brought together agencies and licensees to find solutions for alcohol-related crime and violence in the central city

“This collaborative model is positive for everyone involved, however, being based on willing compliance it does have its limitations if there is not a level playing field for all those involved

“Healthy Christchurch supports the continuation of this Accord and champions it as a model for the rest of New Zealand. However, supports moving it beyond the willing compliance model without losing the spirit of co-operation between licensees and agencies.” The Champions also campaigned for the introduction of the framework adopted by France to reduce the advertising and marketing of alcohol

Under the French Strategy, all broadcast media advertising of alcohol – television, radio, billboards, internet and cinema – is banned; there is no price advertising in print media – this type of advertising being restricted to information about the brand only; no promoting of alcohol at cultural and sporting events; and the banning of all marketing of alcohol to youth

“This approach is similar to what has already been implemented regarding tobacco advertising. Tobacco kills half its users and while there are fewer deaths relating to alcohol consumption, alcohol’s cost to our community in terms of crime and violence is significantly higher,” the Healthy Christchurch Champions told Sir Geoffrey

ENDS

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