Alcohol Control Policies and American Indian Communities

Abstract

Alcohol control policies such as taxation, restricting access by youth, or outright prohibition change the supply conditions for alcohol. That is, they aim to reduce the amount that becomes available for people to consume at whatever price level. Alternatively, they may be seem to raise the cost to consumers for obtaining any given quantity (figure l). The figure shows that a control policy such as a tax on alcohol would raise the cost to consumers and therefore reduce consumption....In the final analysis, alcohol control is only one of many opportunities to empower communities. But alcohol control can contribute to community empowerment. How one controls alcohol is likely to be as important, if not more important, than the type of policy implemented.