Analysis of Strategies Designed to Reduce Sales of Alcohol and Tobacco to Underage Persons: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Alaska has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the nation, and the prevalence of alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse at 14 percent is twice the national average of seven percent. Of special concern is the prevention of alcohol use by adolescents. This study, prepared for the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), focuses on identifying ways that enforcement practices for alcohol sales could be modified to achieve higher compliance rates with age-of-sale laws, comparable to those seen in tobacco enforcement. Recommendations are made in the areas of enforcement efforts, funding and resources, enlisting a multiple-pronged strategy, and onging data collection and evaluation.