NABCA Daily News Update (3/28/2019)

Control State News

PA: Fatal DUIs increase in Pennsylvania's rural counties and fall closer to cities NH: N.H. House Panel Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill, Reworks Tax Structure

License State News

MA: Talking To Children About Alcohol And Drug Use, There's An App For It MA: Massachusetts ranks highest in U.S. for underage drinking TX: Texas House Bill 3897 could give more restaurants an option for BYOB FL: Spring Break Fact: You can't hide vodka in sunscreen bottles

International News

Australia: Obesity and alcohol responsible for nearly 30,000 cases of breast cancers in the next decade Canada: Canadian Company Aims to Add Sobriety Tests to Steering Wheels Ireland: Ireland Pays Second-Highest Level Of Alcohol Excise Tax In The EU, Says DIGI

Public Health News

New study calculates alcohol cancer risk in cigarette equivalents to help communicate risk

Industry News

How a Major Merger Could Shake Up the Spirits Industry

Daily News

Names Former Phoenix House President and Substance Abuse Expert as New Executive Director Ath?na Gervais drowning: Coroner comes down hard on alcohol marketed to kids

March 28, 2019

MEMBER UPDATE

A new benefit has been released for members. Using your member login, visit to view the new Member Newsletter. The newsletter will include member benefits, surveys, important reminders, upcoming events and so on.

As always, if you have any questions concerning your organization's benefits, please contact Dawn Rigaud by calling 703.578.4200.

NABCA HIGHLIGHTS

The Public Health Considerations of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (White Paper) Native American Nations & State Alcohol Policies: An Analysis (White Paper) Alcohol Technology in the World of Tomorrow - (White Paper) The Control State Agency Info Sheets. Please view website for more information.

NABCA Survey Database (members only) Upcoming NABCA Meetings Statistical Data Reports



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CONTROL STATE NEWS

PA: Fatal DUIs increase in Pennsylvania's rural counties and fall closer to cities

By Jason Nark March 27, 2019

In Pennsylvania, the farther you live from a major city, the more likely you are to die in a DUI-related crash.

Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, and Allegheny Counties all experienced decreases in DUI fatalities from 2012 to 2017, a consumer research firm found, while other, more rural counties, such as Monroe, Lackawanna, and Centre, have seen increases over the same time period.

"Pennsylvania has seen a decrease in DUI fatalities across the state in recent years; 2016 to 2017 alone showed a 17 percent decline," the report stated.

According to the Pennsylvania DUI Association, 293 people died in alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2017.

In rural Pennsylvania, bars and restaurants are often condensed in small downtown areas, with farms and homes spreading out along roads that are often dark and dangerous. With bad internet and cell connection in large swaths of the state, connecting to ride-share services isn't easy.

A 2017 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 44.4 percent of drivers and passengers were not buckled at the time of a fatal crash in urban counties, compared with 61.3 percent in rural counties. Those numbers meant America's most rural counties had motor-vehicle death rates "three to 10 times higher than those in the most urban counties."

Last year, The Inquirer reported on Philadelphia's decrease in DUI arrests, with Uber saying it was a direct result of its proliferation in the city. Police seemed to agree, but researchers said that it was too soon to tell and that other factors, like a decrease in alcohol use among young people, could also be at play.

The DUI research done by found that Susquehanna County, on the New York border in Northeast Pennsylvania, had the highest fatality rate per 100,000 residents at 7.69. Indiana, Perry, and Tioga Counties followed.

Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation allocates $4.5 million per year toward enforcement against impaired driving, a spokesperson said. That money is distributed by investigating data and trends, and if certain areas are experiencing upticks, more funds are sent to those areas.

NH: N.H. House Panel Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill, Reworks Tax Structure

NHPR By Dan Tuohy March 27, 2019

A bill to legalize marijuana in New Hampshire has cleared another step in the State House, but not before a rewrite of how the state would tax it.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted Wednesday to legalize up to an ounce of marijuana, to be taxed at 5 percent at the cultivation level and 9 percent at the retail level.

The original bill called for a tax of $30 per ounce of cannabis.

State Rep. Richard Ames of Jaffrey, the vice chairman of the committee, could not cite how much revenue the proposed new tax structure would generate. But he said it would raise more than the original projection, which was a range of about $20 million to $31 million. The original bill estimates a New Hampshire customer base of 130,000.

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The legislation would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older, with possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis and up to 5 grams of hashish.

In brief discussion before the vote, marijuana opponent Rep. Patrick Abrami said he worries that legislators, the state and local government would become addicted to the funding provided by the cannabis industry. The bill lacks a sure way for municipalities to "opt in," as opposed to an opt-out provision, he said.

"Just because states around us are legalizing doesn't mean we have to do it," said Abrami, who served as chairman for a marijuana legalization study commission last year.

Ames said the bill came to Ways and Means as a well-crafted piece of legislation. And sponsors of it, like Rep. Renny Cushing, say it's that way because of the study commission led by Abrami.

A proposed opt-in measure would be one of the notable exceptions.

After the committee vote, New Futures advocacy director Kate Frey said the amended bill undermines an already bad bill because it would channel prevention and treatment funds through the budget process.

"The proponents of this bill have said all along that a significant amount of revenue would go toward substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery and be transferred immediately. What this committee did was actually say: No, it's going to go through the budget process," Frey said. "And as we know with the alcohol fund, that's never been successful. We've had an alcohol fund, of which 5 percent of gross profits are supposed to go to prevention, treatment and recovery. That's only happened once in the 13 years, so I don't expect this to be any different."

The proposed change in how New Hampshire would tax recreational marijuana did not sit well with everyone on the committee. State Rep. Fred Doucette of Salem was one of them: "Now we're talking clearly about a sales tax," he said.

Matt Simon, New England Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said calling it a sales tax is a dubious interpretation because the proposed retail tax is modeled after the state's meals and rooms tax.

"Five percent tax rate on cultivators and a 9 percent tax at the retail level, and that's somewhat lower than other states," Simon said. "Legislators are keenly interested in eliminating the illicit market and that's been driving this discussion."

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee previously passed the bill, and the House sent it to Ways and Means because of the proposed tax. The House of Representatives will consider the amended bill sometime in April.

LICENSE STATE NEWS

MA: Talking To Children About Alcohol And Drug Use, There's An App For It

WAMC By Paul Tuthill March 27, 2019

A mobile app is part of a public health campaign created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It helps parents communicate with children about underage drinking and drug use.

With public schools in Massachusetts and elsewhere coming up on spring breaks, a national public health campaign is urging parents to use the time to talk to children about underage drinking and drug use.

The campaign called "Talk. They Hear You" is designed to help parents answer tough questions children often ask about alcohol and drugs.

In Massachusetts, the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition is part of the national campaign.

Coalition Coordinator Ruth Ever spoke with WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill.

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MA: Massachusetts ranks highest in U.S. for underage drinking

The Daily Free Press By Mia Ping-Chieh Chen March 28, 2019

Massachusetts has the highest rate of underage alcohol use in the country: among people ages 12-20, nearly 29 percent had consumed alcohol and 20 percent had participated in binge drinking, according to research analyzed by the American Addiction Centers.

Nationwide, four of the five top states for underage alcohol consumption are in the Northeast. This includes Vermont with just over 25 percent, and Rhode Island and New Hampshire with about 23 percent each.

Data on alcohol consumption was taken from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2016-17 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Binge drinking was defined as having four or more drinks in one sitting, and survey respondents were asked to reference the previous 30 days.

Across the country, the survey found on an average day more than 245,000 young people consume alcohol and more than 150,800 drink excessively.

Dr. Mark Calarco, the American Addiction Centers' national medical director for clinical diagnostics, wrote in an email young adults can become impaired by alcohol quickly as they lack experience and maturity with drinking.

In minors, Calarco wrote, alcohol can inhibit the normal function and development of the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain associated with decision making and cognitive behavior. He advised young people to visualize the ramifications of their decisions to drink and consider the potential consequences.

"Minors and young college students can help themselves by developing the habit of stopping or pausing before engaging in risky behavior and thinking about the `what ifs,'" Calarco wrote. "If they can pause even for a moment, sometimes that's enough for them to change their behavior."

Matthew Hoffman, executive director of Boston Alcohol and Substance Abuse Programs, said alcohol education is important for students.

He said he thinks it is important to consider the reasons young people decide to drink because their decisions can be tied to social pressure.

"Everybody can remember the high school dance or whatever, everybody feels very awkward and shy and stuff," Hoffman said. "And what they learned from their peers is that a drink or two will help them loosen up and be able to interact socially better."

One way Hoffman suggested discouraging underage drinking is to have alcohol education be a part of the process of getting a driver's license.

"I think that alcohol education should be a basic part of getting your driver's license and that if people are involved in underage drinking, it should reflect in their ability to get a license," he said. "So that's a powerful tool to use to discourage the teenage drinking."

Ian Lee, 28, of Roxbury, said he thinks the accessibility of fake IDs could be a reason that so many underage people are drinking.

"Maybe [there are] too many smart people here to help underage people to get fake IDs," Lee said. "Schools and governments need to emphasize ... laws of underage drinking."

Lisa Witham, 54, of Salisbury, said she believes parents should emphasize the importance of safe drinking habits to their teenagers so they have role models to follow.

"Parents need to do their jobs," Witham said. "The young teens need better role models."

Zachary Pavini, 26, of Worcester, said he thinks the large population of students in Massachusetts could be a reason for the high levels of underage drinking.

NABCA Daily News Update (3/28/2019) 5

"I think there are more colleges here than any other parts in the country, so that might be why," Pavini said. "It's a part of America's university culture to drink while underage."

TX: Texas House Bill 3897 could give more restaurants an option for BYOB KXXV By Lisette Lopez March 27, 2019 TEXAS -- A new house bill has been introduced into legislation that would give restaurant owners, who serve liquor, an option to allow customers to BYOB. According to WFAA , Fort Worth State Rep. Craig Goldman has introduced House Bill 3897 . The house bill states that a restaurant owner could allow customers to bring their own wine and charge whatever corkage fee that they see fit. The owner can not charge any other related fee to the customer. This is an option restaurants that only serve beer and wine have had for some time now. The Texas Restaurant Association spoke against the bill saying that the wine sales contribute to keeping the restaurant afloat, according to WFAA. If House Bill 3897 is passed, it will take affect on Sept. 1.

FL: SPRING BREAK FACT: You can't hide vodka in sunscreen bottles News Channel 8 By Kimber Collins March 27, 2019 OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) -- The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office took to social media Wednesday showing a new trend with underage drinkers at the beaches. They are finding alcohol in sunscreen bottles. The Facebook post reads "Hiding vodka in a sunscreen bottle only works if you don't let a Deputy see you drink out of it. Plus you can still taste the sunscreen." Alcohol is permitted on the beaches but must be without glass. There is a no tolerance policy for underage drinking.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australia: Obesity and alcohol responsible for nearly 30,000 cases of breast cancers in the next decade UNSW Sydney By Isabelle Dubach March 28, 2019 Body fatness and alcohol consumption are the leading preventable causes of breast cancer in Australian women, a new study in 200,000 women has found. A new big data study has found current levels of overweight and obesity are responsible for the largest proportion of preventable future breast cancers. Photo: Shutterstock Maintaining a healthy weight and not consuming alcohol regularly could help prevent thousands of breast cancer cases, a new big data study by UNSW Sydney researchers has found. The findings could help inform future cancer control strategies.

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The large collaborative study led by UNSW's Centre for Big Data Research in Health was published in the International Journal of Cancer. It pooled six Australian cohort studies including over 200,000 women and evaluated what proportion of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal breast cancers could be prevented by modifying current behaviours.

"We found that current levels of overweight and obesity are responsible for the largest proportion of preventable future breast cancers ? more specifically, 17,500 or 13% of breast cancers in the next decade," says study author Dr Maarit Laaksonen.

"Regular alcohol consumption is the second largest contributor ? 13% of pre-menopausal and 6% of postmenopausal breast cancers, that is 11,600 cases over the next 10 years, are attributable to consuming alcohol regularly."

This was the first time that regular alcohol consumption was shown as the leading modifiable cause of breast cancer burden for pre-menopausal women.

Although the current Australian recommendation is to not drink more than two alcoholic drinks per day on average, the study found that risk of breast cancer increased with an average consumption of just one alcoholic drink per day.

More than half of Australian women currently report drinking alcohol regularly, and three in five Australian women are overweight or obese.

The researchers also found current use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to explain 7% of postmenopausal breast cancers, with over 90% of this burden explained by a long-term use of at least 5 years. Similarly, the researchers found current long-term use of oral contraceptives to explain 7% of premenopausal breast cancers.

"Our findings support the current Australian and international recommendations of using MHT for the shortest duration possible, and only to alleviate menopausal symptoms, not for the prevention of chronic disease," Dr Laaksonen says.

"When it comes to oral contraception, it is not recommended that women restrict their use of OCs ? the latest position statement from Cancer Council says that over the course of a woman's lifetime, the net effect of OCs is actually cancer-protective, as they provide long-term protection against endometrial and ovarian cancers, meaning that the potential benefits, including reproductive benefits, outweigh the harms."

Jointly, these behavioural and hormonal factors explain about one in five breast cancers, amounting to 37,000 breast cancers over the next 10 years.

For the first time, the researchers were able to compare the breast cancer burden for different population subgroups. They identified population subgroups with the greatest burden of preventable post-menopausal breast cancer.

"For instance, we found that the body fatness-related burden is greatest (20%) among those with lower educational attainment, and the MHT-related burden is greatest (10%) among those of healthy weight, those consuming alcohol more frequently and those of higher socioeconomic status," Dr Laaksonen says.

The findings may help to target preventative measures to high-burden subgroups that are likely to benefit most.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Australia and worldwide ? in 2018, an estimated 18,000 Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death in Australian women.

"That means that consequently, even relatively small preventable proportions translate into large numbers of preventable breast cancers," Dr Laaksonen says.

"If confirmed, these findings are likely to contribute important evidence for individual and population level cancer control strategies," she concludes.

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