Assessing public health consequences and costs of privatization of liquor sales in Washington state

The Foundation's program, Public Health Law Research: Making the Case for Laws That Improve Health, was designed to build the evidence for public health law and policy, translate research findings into practical tools to increase the support for and use of law by policy makers and public health practitioners, and to translate findings to other fields and venues to improve and protect health.This project will assess how a new law in the state of Washington (Voter Initiative 1183, effective date: 6/1/12) which abolishes state alcohol "control" over liquor is associated with changes in: (1) alcohol availability, enforcement, pricing and advertising; (2) known predictors of alcohol consumption such as perceived availability and acceptability; (3) alcohol consumption patterns among youth and adults, especially in communities of color, low-income and rural populations and young adults; (4) alcohol-related public health and social impacts, and (5) overall economic effects. Findings from this study will should be useful to allow policymakers in the current 18 "control" states to understand consequences of privatization; states already operating privatized systems will also be able to understand the relative contribution of factors that can inform prevention-focused policies. Deliverables include: peer-reviewed publications, fact sheets, results posted on websites, presentations at conferences, articles in peer-reviewed journals, and press releases.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $327,211.00

Awarded on: 11/14/2012

Time frame: 11/15/2012 - 5/31/2015

Grant Number: 70513