Table 1.
Availability and accessibility: evidence-based regulatory strategies for alcohol and tobacco
| Policy category | Alcohol * | Tobacco† |
|---|---|---|
| Government monopoly on retail sales | Moderate effectiveness in limiting consumption and harm. Beneficial effects are increased by public health and public order goals. | Not mentioned. |
| Ban on sales | High degree of effectiveness in reducing consumption and harm, but often with adverse side-effects related to the black market, which is expensive to suppress. Ineffective without enforcement. | Not mentioned. |
| Hours and days of sale restrictions | Moderate effectiveness where changes in trading hours meaningfully reduce availability or where problems such as late-night violence are specifically related to hours of sale. | Not mentioned. |
| Restrictions on density of outlets | Moderate effectiveness for both consumption and social problems. Changes to outlet numbers affect availability most in areas with low prior availability, but bunching of outlets into high-density entertainment districts can be associated with public order problems and violence. | Not mentioned. |
| Sales by young people | Not mentioned. | Prohibit sales by people under a certain age. (Article 16, s. 7) |
| Taxes as a means to influence price | High degree of effectiveness in reducing consumption and harm. Effectiveness depends on government oversight and control of the total supply. | Implement tax and price policies that contribute to the health objectives aimed at reducing consumption, particularly by young people, and prohibit or restrict tax and duty-free importation by travellers. (Article 6, s. 1, 2) |
| Minimum price | No controlled studies / insufficient evidence. The logic of this strategy is based on price theory, but there is very little evidence of effectiveness. Competition regulations and trade policies may restrict implementation unless the minimum price is achieved through taxation policy. | Not mentioned. |
| Differential price by beverage | Limited effectiveness. Higher prices for distilled spirits shifts consumption to lower-alcohol content beverages, resulting in lower overall consumption. Evidence for the impact of tax breaks on lowalcohol products suggests a benefit. | Not mentioned. |