The thorny issue of alcohol control in Aotearoa/New Zealand: developments in Ireland
View Article PDF
Ford et al recently discussed the ongoing and problematic nature of alcohol misuse in New Zealand.1 Like many other Western countries, New Zealand liberalised its sale and supply of liquor legislation towards the end of the 20th Century, starting with the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act.2–3 Over time this legislation and subsequent amendments permitted a significant expansion in the number and types of premises permitted to sell alcohol, a reduction in the age to legally purchase alcohol from 20 to 18, and allowed Sunday trading in alcohol.2–3 The outcome of this deregulation has included an increase of more than 100% in the number of alcohol outlets in New Zealand, increasing from 6,000 to 14,000 over a decade, and a growing state of widespread unease concerning the negative impact of alcohol on society in New Zealand.4
The adverse global impact of alcohol is significant,5 and New Zealand is no exception.4,6,7 It must be remembered that any routine assessments of the impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality may overlook the role of alcohol as a facilitator and risk factor for both domestic violence and suicide. The inequitable negative impact of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among Māori is also a particular issue of concern.8-10
Ireland has an equally problematic relationship with alcohol,11–17 and has traditionally been subject to a host of negative stereotypes and caricatures internationally around this issue.17–19 Per capita alcohol consumption in Ireland is a significant issue of concern.20–22 However, such population-based averages lead to a gross underestimation of the extent of the problem in Ireland as just over one in five (20.6%) Irish adults are, for religious or other reasons, teetotal. Amended per capita calculations of alcohol consumption therefore indicate that in 2015, adults that consumed alcohol in Ireland drank on average the equivalent of 46 bottles of gin/vodka. Heavy episodic (‘binge’) drinking is a particular concern in Ireland. World Health Organization (WHO) research indicates that on this measure Ireland was second only to Austria out of 194 countries and significantly ahead of the UK.21
Similar to New Zealand, Ireland significantly deregulated its controls around alcohol in the early years of the 21st Century. Despite the growing and indisputable evidence11–16 of the negative and costly impact of alcohol on Irish society, successive governments have demonstrated remarkable ambivalence towards effective regulation of alcohol.23–24 However, the beginning of a turning point towards a more responsible approach to alcohol may be seen with the explicit inclusion of alcohol in Ireland’s Drug strategy in 2009.25
More recently, after more than 1,000 days of debate and in the face of significant opposition from representatives from rural constituencies, Ireland’s parliament (the Dáil) has just passed a new alcohol Bill which paved the way for a range of more stringent control measures.26–27 These include minimum unit pricing, mandatory cancer warnings and the spatial segregation of alcohol sales in shops.26
Given both the negative impact on morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol and the high level of public unease about this issue, it may be an opportune time for New Zealand to once again seriously reconsider similar initiatives. New Zealand’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 enacted some, but not all of the impressively comprehensive Law Commission report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm.4 Thus former opportunities for more stringent protections may have been wasted, however now is the time for action.27 Recent research in New Zealand has highlighted the failure of a voluntary code of warnings on alcohol.28 Additionally, despite a reluctance in government circles,29 there appears to be growing pressure to push for legislation to introduce a minimum unit price initiative.30 Support for such a measure may also be seen in a recent Ministry of Justice report.31 In relation to the segregation of alcohol sales, it should be noted that the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has already called for a ban on the sale of alcohol from supermarkets.32 In addition, research from New Zealand has amply demonstrated the high level of exposure of children to alcohol in everyday environments that only serves to normalise alcohol,33 a product that is ‘no ordinary commodity’.34
Summary
Abstract
Aim
Method
Results
Conclusion
Author Information
Acknowledgements
Correspondence
Correspondence Email
Competing Interests
- Ford K, Foulds J, Coleman O, Ardagh M, Pearson S, Droste N, Newton-Howes G, Sellman JD. Alcohol-related emergency department attendances after the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. NZMJ 2018; 131(1483).
- Alcohol Healthwatch. Information Sheet: sale and supply of liquor.
- Maclennan B, Kypri K, Connor J, Potiki T, Room R. New Zealand’s new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:29.
- Law Commission. Alcohol in Our lives: an issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s liquor laws. Law Commission: Wellington, 2009.
- Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. Lancet 2012; 380:2224–60.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injury in New Zealand: 2004 and 2007. Health Promotion Agency: Wellington, 2013.
- Health Promotion Agency. Injuries and death from traffic crashes with alcohol as a contributing factor. AlcoholNZ 2017; (7)1:26–29.
- Ellison-Loschmann L, Sporle A, Corbin M, Cheng S, Harawira P, Gray M, et al. Risk of stomach cancer in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Māori population based case-control study. PLoS ONE 2017; 12(7):e0181581.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Maclennan B, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand. Drug and Alcohol Review 2017; 36:415–423.
- Herbert S, Stephens C. Alcohol Use and Older Mãori in Aotearoa. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 2015; 14(3):251–269.
- Lyons S, Lynn E, Walsh S, Sutton M, Long J. Alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, 2004 to 2008. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2011.
- Martin J, Barry J, Goggin D, Morgan K, Ward M, O’Suilleabhain T. Alcohol-attributable mortality in Ireland. Alcohol Alcohol 2010; 45:379–86.
- Martin, J, Barry, J, Skally, M. Alcohol Attributable Hospitalisations and Costs in Ireland, 2000-2004. Ir Med J 2011; 104:140–4.
- Mongan D, Hope A, Nelson M. Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. HRB Overview Series 9. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2009.
- Hope A. Alcohol-related harm in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive – Alcohol Implementation Group. Dublin: Health Services Executive, 2008.
- Byrne, S. Costs to society of problem alcohol use in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive, 2011.
- Ferriter D. Drink and society in twentieth-century Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 2015; 115C:1–21.
- Appel JJ. From shanties to lace curtains: the Irish image in Puck, 1876–1910. Comparative Studies in Society and History 1971; 13(4):365–375.
- Stivers R. Irish ethnicity and alcohol use. Medical Anthropology 1978; 2(4):121–135.
- IPSOS MRBI. Healthy Ireland Survey 2017: Summary of Findings. Dublin: Government Publications Office, 2017.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2014.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2018.
- Houghton F. A Perfect Demonstration of the Absence of Leadership: Alcohol Policy in Ireland. Irish J Psych Med 2012; 2993:145–146.
- Butler S. Obstacles to the Implementation of an Integrated National Alcohol Policy in Ireland: Nannies, Neo-Liberals and Joined-Up Government. Journal of Social Policy 2009; 38(2):343–359.
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. National Drugs Strategy (interim) 2009–2017. Dublin: Government Publications Office.
- Irish Examiner. Warnings on labels as Dáil passes alcohol bill. Thursday, October 04, 2018.
- Kypri K, Connor J, Maclennan B, Sellman D. What became of New Zealand’s golden opportunity for liquor law reform? Drug & Alcohol Rev 2013; 32(6):557–60.
- Tinawi G, Gray T, Knight T, Glass C, Domanski N, Wilson N, Hoek J. Highly deficient alcohol health warning labels in a high-income country with a voluntary system. Drug & Alcohol Rev 2018; 37(5):616–626.
- Davison I. (2014) Govt refuses to set minimum price on alcohol. New Zealand Herald. 24th April. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11243722
- Hapai Te Hauora. NZ urged to move on a floor price for alcohol. 16th November 2017. http://www.hapai.co.nz/content/nz-urged-move-floor-price-alcohol
- Ministry of Justice (2016) Alcohol minimum pricing policies. http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol/alcohol-minimum-pricing-report/
- Ainge Roy E. (2017) Ban alcohol from supermarkets, urges New Zealand medical authority. The Guardian, 7th August 2017. http://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/ban-alcohol-from-supermarkets-urges-new-zealand-medical-authority
- Chambers T, Pearson AL, Stanley J, Smith M, Barra M, Ni Mhurchu C, Signal L. Children’s exposure to alcohol marketing within supermarkets: An objective analysis using GPS technology and wearable cameras. Health & Place 2017; 46:274–280.
- Babor T, Caetano R, Casswell S, Edwards G, Geisbrecht N, Graham K, Grube J, Hill L, Holder H D, Homel R, Livingston M, Osterberg E, Rehm J, Room R, Rossow I. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity. Research and public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
For the PDF of this article,
contact nzmj@nzma.org.nz
The thorny issue of alcohol control in Aotearoa/New Zealand: developments in Ireland
View Article PDF
Ford et al recently discussed the ongoing and problematic nature of alcohol misuse in New Zealand.1 Like many other Western countries, New Zealand liberalised its sale and supply of liquor legislation towards the end of the 20th Century, starting with the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act.2–3 Over time this legislation and subsequent amendments permitted a significant expansion in the number and types of premises permitted to sell alcohol, a reduction in the age to legally purchase alcohol from 20 to 18, and allowed Sunday trading in alcohol.2–3 The outcome of this deregulation has included an increase of more than 100% in the number of alcohol outlets in New Zealand, increasing from 6,000 to 14,000 over a decade, and a growing state of widespread unease concerning the negative impact of alcohol on society in New Zealand.4
The adverse global impact of alcohol is significant,5 and New Zealand is no exception.4,6,7 It must be remembered that any routine assessments of the impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality may overlook the role of alcohol as a facilitator and risk factor for both domestic violence and suicide. The inequitable negative impact of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among Māori is also a particular issue of concern.8-10
Ireland has an equally problematic relationship with alcohol,11–17 and has traditionally been subject to a host of negative stereotypes and caricatures internationally around this issue.17–19 Per capita alcohol consumption in Ireland is a significant issue of concern.20–22 However, such population-based averages lead to a gross underestimation of the extent of the problem in Ireland as just over one in five (20.6%) Irish adults are, for religious or other reasons, teetotal. Amended per capita calculations of alcohol consumption therefore indicate that in 2015, adults that consumed alcohol in Ireland drank on average the equivalent of 46 bottles of gin/vodka. Heavy episodic (‘binge’) drinking is a particular concern in Ireland. World Health Organization (WHO) research indicates that on this measure Ireland was second only to Austria out of 194 countries and significantly ahead of the UK.21
Similar to New Zealand, Ireland significantly deregulated its controls around alcohol in the early years of the 21st Century. Despite the growing and indisputable evidence11–16 of the negative and costly impact of alcohol on Irish society, successive governments have demonstrated remarkable ambivalence towards effective regulation of alcohol.23–24 However, the beginning of a turning point towards a more responsible approach to alcohol may be seen with the explicit inclusion of alcohol in Ireland’s Drug strategy in 2009.25
More recently, after more than 1,000 days of debate and in the face of significant opposition from representatives from rural constituencies, Ireland’s parliament (the Dáil) has just passed a new alcohol Bill which paved the way for a range of more stringent control measures.26–27 These include minimum unit pricing, mandatory cancer warnings and the spatial segregation of alcohol sales in shops.26
Given both the negative impact on morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol and the high level of public unease about this issue, it may be an opportune time for New Zealand to once again seriously reconsider similar initiatives. New Zealand’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 enacted some, but not all of the impressively comprehensive Law Commission report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm.4 Thus former opportunities for more stringent protections may have been wasted, however now is the time for action.27 Recent research in New Zealand has highlighted the failure of a voluntary code of warnings on alcohol.28 Additionally, despite a reluctance in government circles,29 there appears to be growing pressure to push for legislation to introduce a minimum unit price initiative.30 Support for such a measure may also be seen in a recent Ministry of Justice report.31 In relation to the segregation of alcohol sales, it should be noted that the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has already called for a ban on the sale of alcohol from supermarkets.32 In addition, research from New Zealand has amply demonstrated the high level of exposure of children to alcohol in everyday environments that only serves to normalise alcohol,33 a product that is ‘no ordinary commodity’.34
Summary
Abstract
Aim
Method
Results
Conclusion
Author Information
Acknowledgements
Correspondence
Correspondence Email
Competing Interests
- Ford K, Foulds J, Coleman O, Ardagh M, Pearson S, Droste N, Newton-Howes G, Sellman JD. Alcohol-related emergency department attendances after the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. NZMJ 2018; 131(1483).
- Alcohol Healthwatch. Information Sheet: sale and supply of liquor.
- Maclennan B, Kypri K, Connor J, Potiki T, Room R. New Zealand’s new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:29.
- Law Commission. Alcohol in Our lives: an issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s liquor laws. Law Commission: Wellington, 2009.
- Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. Lancet 2012; 380:2224–60.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injury in New Zealand: 2004 and 2007. Health Promotion Agency: Wellington, 2013.
- Health Promotion Agency. Injuries and death from traffic crashes with alcohol as a contributing factor. AlcoholNZ 2017; (7)1:26–29.
- Ellison-Loschmann L, Sporle A, Corbin M, Cheng S, Harawira P, Gray M, et al. Risk of stomach cancer in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Māori population based case-control study. PLoS ONE 2017; 12(7):e0181581.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Maclennan B, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand. Drug and Alcohol Review 2017; 36:415–423.
- Herbert S, Stephens C. Alcohol Use and Older Mãori in Aotearoa. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 2015; 14(3):251–269.
- Lyons S, Lynn E, Walsh S, Sutton M, Long J. Alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, 2004 to 2008. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2011.
- Martin J, Barry J, Goggin D, Morgan K, Ward M, O’Suilleabhain T. Alcohol-attributable mortality in Ireland. Alcohol Alcohol 2010; 45:379–86.
- Martin, J, Barry, J, Skally, M. Alcohol Attributable Hospitalisations and Costs in Ireland, 2000-2004. Ir Med J 2011; 104:140–4.
- Mongan D, Hope A, Nelson M. Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. HRB Overview Series 9. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2009.
- Hope A. Alcohol-related harm in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive – Alcohol Implementation Group. Dublin: Health Services Executive, 2008.
- Byrne, S. Costs to society of problem alcohol use in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive, 2011.
- Ferriter D. Drink and society in twentieth-century Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 2015; 115C:1–21.
- Appel JJ. From shanties to lace curtains: the Irish image in Puck, 1876–1910. Comparative Studies in Society and History 1971; 13(4):365–375.
- Stivers R. Irish ethnicity and alcohol use. Medical Anthropology 1978; 2(4):121–135.
- IPSOS MRBI. Healthy Ireland Survey 2017: Summary of Findings. Dublin: Government Publications Office, 2017.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2014.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2018.
- Houghton F. A Perfect Demonstration of the Absence of Leadership: Alcohol Policy in Ireland. Irish J Psych Med 2012; 2993:145–146.
- Butler S. Obstacles to the Implementation of an Integrated National Alcohol Policy in Ireland: Nannies, Neo-Liberals and Joined-Up Government. Journal of Social Policy 2009; 38(2):343–359.
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. National Drugs Strategy (interim) 2009–2017. Dublin: Government Publications Office.
- Irish Examiner. Warnings on labels as Dáil passes alcohol bill. Thursday, October 04, 2018.
- Kypri K, Connor J, Maclennan B, Sellman D. What became of New Zealand’s golden opportunity for liquor law reform? Drug & Alcohol Rev 2013; 32(6):557–60.
- Tinawi G, Gray T, Knight T, Glass C, Domanski N, Wilson N, Hoek J. Highly deficient alcohol health warning labels in a high-income country with a voluntary system. Drug & Alcohol Rev 2018; 37(5):616–626.
- Davison I. (2014) Govt refuses to set minimum price on alcohol. New Zealand Herald. 24th April. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11243722
- Hapai Te Hauora. NZ urged to move on a floor price for alcohol. 16th November 2017. http://www.hapai.co.nz/content/nz-urged-move-floor-price-alcohol
- Ministry of Justice (2016) Alcohol minimum pricing policies. http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol/alcohol-minimum-pricing-report/
- Ainge Roy E. (2017) Ban alcohol from supermarkets, urges New Zealand medical authority. The Guardian, 7th August 2017. http://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/ban-alcohol-from-supermarkets-urges-new-zealand-medical-authority
- Chambers T, Pearson AL, Stanley J, Smith M, Barra M, Ni Mhurchu C, Signal L. Children’s exposure to alcohol marketing within supermarkets: An objective analysis using GPS technology and wearable cameras. Health & Place 2017; 46:274–280.
- Babor T, Caetano R, Casswell S, Edwards G, Geisbrecht N, Graham K, Grube J, Hill L, Holder H D, Homel R, Livingston M, Osterberg E, Rehm J, Room R, Rossow I. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity. Research and public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
For the PDF of this article,
contact nzmj@nzma.org.nz
The thorny issue of alcohol control in Aotearoa/New Zealand: developments in Ireland
View Article PDF
Ford et al recently discussed the ongoing and problematic nature of alcohol misuse in New Zealand.1 Like many other Western countries, New Zealand liberalised its sale and supply of liquor legislation towards the end of the 20th Century, starting with the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act.2–3 Over time this legislation and subsequent amendments permitted a significant expansion in the number and types of premises permitted to sell alcohol, a reduction in the age to legally purchase alcohol from 20 to 18, and allowed Sunday trading in alcohol.2–3 The outcome of this deregulation has included an increase of more than 100% in the number of alcohol outlets in New Zealand, increasing from 6,000 to 14,000 over a decade, and a growing state of widespread unease concerning the negative impact of alcohol on society in New Zealand.4
The adverse global impact of alcohol is significant,5 and New Zealand is no exception.4,6,7 It must be remembered that any routine assessments of the impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality may overlook the role of alcohol as a facilitator and risk factor for both domestic violence and suicide. The inequitable negative impact of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among Māori is also a particular issue of concern.8-10
Ireland has an equally problematic relationship with alcohol,11–17 and has traditionally been subject to a host of negative stereotypes and caricatures internationally around this issue.17–19 Per capita alcohol consumption in Ireland is a significant issue of concern.20–22 However, such population-based averages lead to a gross underestimation of the extent of the problem in Ireland as just over one in five (20.6%) Irish adults are, for religious or other reasons, teetotal. Amended per capita calculations of alcohol consumption therefore indicate that in 2015, adults that consumed alcohol in Ireland drank on average the equivalent of 46 bottles of gin/vodka. Heavy episodic (‘binge’) drinking is a particular concern in Ireland. World Health Organization (WHO) research indicates that on this measure Ireland was second only to Austria out of 194 countries and significantly ahead of the UK.21
Similar to New Zealand, Ireland significantly deregulated its controls around alcohol in the early years of the 21st Century. Despite the growing and indisputable evidence11–16 of the negative and costly impact of alcohol on Irish society, successive governments have demonstrated remarkable ambivalence towards effective regulation of alcohol.23–24 However, the beginning of a turning point towards a more responsible approach to alcohol may be seen with the explicit inclusion of alcohol in Ireland’s Drug strategy in 2009.25
More recently, after more than 1,000 days of debate and in the face of significant opposition from representatives from rural constituencies, Ireland’s parliament (the Dáil) has just passed a new alcohol Bill which paved the way for a range of more stringent control measures.26–27 These include minimum unit pricing, mandatory cancer warnings and the spatial segregation of alcohol sales in shops.26
Given both the negative impact on morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol and the high level of public unease about this issue, it may be an opportune time for New Zealand to once again seriously reconsider similar initiatives. New Zealand’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 enacted some, but not all of the impressively comprehensive Law Commission report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm.4 Thus former opportunities for more stringent protections may have been wasted, however now is the time for action.27 Recent research in New Zealand has highlighted the failure of a voluntary code of warnings on alcohol.28 Additionally, despite a reluctance in government circles,29 there appears to be growing pressure to push for legislation to introduce a minimum unit price initiative.30 Support for such a measure may also be seen in a recent Ministry of Justice report.31 In relation to the segregation of alcohol sales, it should be noted that the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has already called for a ban on the sale of alcohol from supermarkets.32 In addition, research from New Zealand has amply demonstrated the high level of exposure of children to alcohol in everyday environments that only serves to normalise alcohol,33 a product that is ‘no ordinary commodity’.34
Summary
Abstract
Aim
Method
Results
Conclusion
Author Information
Acknowledgements
Correspondence
Correspondence Email
Competing Interests
- Ford K, Foulds J, Coleman O, Ardagh M, Pearson S, Droste N, Newton-Howes G, Sellman JD. Alcohol-related emergency department attendances after the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. NZMJ 2018; 131(1483).
- Alcohol Healthwatch. Information Sheet: sale and supply of liquor.
- Maclennan B, Kypri K, Connor J, Potiki T, Room R. New Zealand’s new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:29.
- Law Commission. Alcohol in Our lives: an issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s liquor laws. Law Commission: Wellington, 2009.
- Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. Lancet 2012; 380:2224–60.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injury in New Zealand: 2004 and 2007. Health Promotion Agency: Wellington, 2013.
- Health Promotion Agency. Injuries and death from traffic crashes with alcohol as a contributing factor. AlcoholNZ 2017; (7)1:26–29.
- Ellison-Loschmann L, Sporle A, Corbin M, Cheng S, Harawira P, Gray M, et al. Risk of stomach cancer in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Māori population based case-control study. PLoS ONE 2017; 12(7):e0181581.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Maclennan B, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand. Drug and Alcohol Review 2017; 36:415–423.
- Herbert S, Stephens C. Alcohol Use and Older Mãori in Aotearoa. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 2015; 14(3):251–269.
- Lyons S, Lynn E, Walsh S, Sutton M, Long J. Alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, 2004 to 2008. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2011.
- Martin J, Barry J, Goggin D, Morgan K, Ward M, O’Suilleabhain T. Alcohol-attributable mortality in Ireland. Alcohol Alcohol 2010; 45:379–86.
- Martin, J, Barry, J, Skally, M. Alcohol Attributable Hospitalisations and Costs in Ireland, 2000-2004. Ir Med J 2011; 104:140–4.
- Mongan D, Hope A, Nelson M. Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. HRB Overview Series 9. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2009.
- Hope A. Alcohol-related harm in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive – Alcohol Implementation Group. Dublin: Health Services Executive, 2008.
- Byrne, S. Costs to society of problem alcohol use in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive, 2011.
- Ferriter D. Drink and society in twentieth-century Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 2015; 115C:1–21.
- Appel JJ. From shanties to lace curtains: the Irish image in Puck, 1876–1910. Comparative Studies in Society and History 1971; 13(4):365–375.
- Stivers R. Irish ethnicity and alcohol use. Medical Anthropology 1978; 2(4):121–135.
- IPSOS MRBI. Healthy Ireland Survey 2017: Summary of Findings. Dublin: Government Publications Office, 2017.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2014.
- WHO. Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2018.
- Houghton F. A Perfect Demonstration of the Absence of Leadership: Alcohol Policy in Ireland. Irish J Psych Med 2012; 2993:145–146.
- Butler S. Obstacles to the Implementation of an Integrated National Alcohol Policy in Ireland: Nannies, Neo-Liberals and Joined-Up Government. Journal of Social Policy 2009; 38(2):343–359.
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. National Drugs Strategy (interim) 2009–2017. Dublin: Government Publications Office.
- Irish Examiner. Warnings on labels as Dáil passes alcohol bill. Thursday, October 04, 2018.
- Kypri K, Connor J, Maclennan B, Sellman D. What became of New Zealand’s golden opportunity for liquor law reform? Drug & Alcohol Rev 2013; 32(6):557–60.
- Tinawi G, Gray T, Knight T, Glass C, Domanski N, Wilson N, Hoek J. Highly deficient alcohol health warning labels in a high-income country with a voluntary system. Drug & Alcohol Rev 2018; 37(5):616–626.
- Davison I. (2014) Govt refuses to set minimum price on alcohol. New Zealand Herald. 24th April. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11243722
- Hapai Te Hauora. NZ urged to move on a floor price for alcohol. 16th November 2017. http://www.hapai.co.nz/content/nz-urged-move-floor-price-alcohol
- Ministry of Justice (2016) Alcohol minimum pricing policies. http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol/alcohol-minimum-pricing-report/
- Ainge Roy E. (2017) Ban alcohol from supermarkets, urges New Zealand medical authority. The Guardian, 7th August 2017. http://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/ban-alcohol-from-supermarkets-urges-new-zealand-medical-authority
- Chambers T, Pearson AL, Stanley J, Smith M, Barra M, Ni Mhurchu C, Signal L. Children’s exposure to alcohol marketing within supermarkets: An objective analysis using GPS technology and wearable cameras. Health & Place 2017; 46:274–280.
- Babor T, Caetano R, Casswell S, Edwards G, Geisbrecht N, Graham K, Grube J, Hill L, Holder H D, Homel R, Livingston M, Osterberg E, Rehm J, Room R, Rossow I. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity. Research and public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Contact diana@nzma.org.nz
for the PDF of this article
The thorny issue of alcohol control in Aotearoa/New Zealand: developments in Ireland
View Article PDF
Ford et al recently discussed the ongoing and problematic nature of alcohol misuse in New Zealand.1 Like many other Western countries, New Zealand liberalised its sale and supply of liquor legislation towards the end of the 20th Century, starting with the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act.2–3 Over time this legislation and subsequent amendments permitted a significant expansion in the number and types of premises permitted to sell alcohol, a reduction in the age to legally purchase alcohol from 20 to 18, and allowed Sunday trading in alcohol.2–3 The outcome of this deregulation has included an increase of more than 100% in the number of alcohol outlets in New Zealand, increasing from 6,000 to 14,000 over a decade, and a growing state of widespread unease concerning the negative impact of alcohol on society in New Zealand.4
The adverse global impact of alcohol is significant,5 and New Zealand is no exception.4,6,7 It must be remembered that any routine assessments of the impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality may overlook the role of alcohol as a facilitator and risk factor for both domestic violence and suicide. The inequitable negative impact of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among Māori is also a particular issue of concern.8-10
Ireland has an equally problematic relationship with alcohol,11–17 and has traditionally been subject to a host of negative stereotypes and caricatures internationally around this issue.17–19 Per capita alcohol consumption in Ireland is a significant issue of concern.20–22 However, such population-based averages lead to a gross underestimation of the extent of the problem in Ireland as just over one in five (20.6%) Irish adults are, for religious or other reasons, teetotal. Amended per capita calculations of alcohol consumption therefore indicate that in 2015, adults that consumed alcohol in Ireland drank on average the equivalent of 46 bottles of gin/vodka. Heavy episodic (‘binge’) drinking is a particular concern in Ireland. World Health Organization (WHO) research indicates that on this measure Ireland was second only to Austria out of 194 countries and significantly ahead of the UK.21
Similar to New Zealand, Ireland significantly deregulated its controls around alcohol in the early years of the 21st Century. Despite the growing and indisputable evidence11–16 of the negative and costly impact of alcohol on Irish society, successive governments have demonstrated remarkable ambivalence towards effective regulation of alcohol.23–24 However, the beginning of a turning point towards a more responsible approach to alcohol may be seen with the explicit inclusion of alcohol in Ireland’s Drug strategy in 2009.25
More recently, after more than 1,000 days of debate and in the face of significant opposition from representatives from rural constituencies, Ireland’s parliament (the Dáil) has just passed a new alcohol Bill which paved the way for a range of more stringent control measures.26–27 These include minimum unit pricing, mandatory cancer warnings and the spatial segregation of alcohol sales in shops.26
Given both the negative impact on morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol and the high level of public unease about this issue, it may be an opportune time for New Zealand to once again seriously reconsider similar initiatives. New Zealand’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 enacted some, but not all of the impressively comprehensive Law Commission report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm.4 Thus former opportunities for more stringent protections may have been wasted, however now is the time for action.27 Recent research in New Zealand has highlighted the failure of a voluntary code of warnings on alcohol.28 Additionally, despite a reluctance in government circles,29 there appears to be growing pressure to push for legislation to introduce a minimum unit price initiative.30 Support for such a measure may also be seen in a recent Ministry of Justice report.31 In relation to the segregation of alcohol sales, it should be noted that the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has already called for a ban on the sale of alcohol from supermarkets.32 In addition, research from New Zealand has amply demonstrated the high level of exposure of children to alcohol in everyday environments that only serves to normalise alcohol,33 a product that is ‘no ordinary commodity’.34
Summary
Abstract
Aim
Method
Results
Conclusion
Author Information
Acknowledgements
Correspondence
Correspondence Email
Competing Interests
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- Law Commission. Alcohol in Our lives: an issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s liquor laws. Law Commission: Wellington, 2009.
- Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. Lancet 2012; 380:2224–60.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injury in New Zealand: 2004 and 2007. Health Promotion Agency: Wellington, 2013.
- Health Promotion Agency. Injuries and death from traffic crashes with alcohol as a contributing factor. AlcoholNZ 2017; (7)1:26–29.
- Ellison-Loschmann L, Sporle A, Corbin M, Cheng S, Harawira P, Gray M, et al. Risk of stomach cancer in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Māori population based case-control study. PLoS ONE 2017; 12(7):e0181581.
- Connor J, Kydd R, Maclennan B, Shield K, Rehm J. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths under 80 years of age in New Zealand. Drug and Alcohol Review 2017; 36:415–423.
- Herbert S, Stephens C. Alcohol Use and Older Mãori in Aotearoa. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 2015; 14(3):251–269.
- Lyons S, Lynn E, Walsh S, Sutton M, Long J. Alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, 2004 to 2008. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2011.
- Martin J, Barry J, Goggin D, Morgan K, Ward M, O’Suilleabhain T. Alcohol-attributable mortality in Ireland. Alcohol Alcohol 2010; 45:379–86.
- Martin, J, Barry, J, Skally, M. Alcohol Attributable Hospitalisations and Costs in Ireland, 2000-2004. Ir Med J 2011; 104:140–4.
- Mongan D, Hope A, Nelson M. Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. HRB Overview Series 9. Dublin: Health Research Board, 2009.
- Hope A. Alcohol-related harm in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive – Alcohol Implementation Group. Dublin: Health Services Executive, 2008.
- Byrne, S. Costs to society of problem alcohol use in Ireland. Dublin: Health Service Executive, 2011.
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- Butler S. Obstacles to the Implementation of an Integrated National Alcohol Policy in Ireland: Nannies, Neo-Liberals and Joined-Up Government. Journal of Social Policy 2009; 38(2):343–359.
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. National Drugs Strategy (interim) 2009–2017. Dublin: Government Publications Office.
- Irish Examiner. Warnings on labels as Dáil passes alcohol bill. Thursday, October 04, 2018.
- Kypri K, Connor J, Maclennan B, Sellman D. What became of New Zealand’s golden opportunity for liquor law reform? Drug & Alcohol Rev 2013; 32(6):557–60.
- Tinawi G, Gray T, Knight T, Glass C, Domanski N, Wilson N, Hoek J. Highly deficient alcohol health warning labels in a high-income country with a voluntary system. Drug & Alcohol Rev 2018; 37(5):616–626.
- Davison I. (2014) Govt refuses to set minimum price on alcohol. New Zealand Herald. 24th April. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11243722
- Hapai Te Hauora. NZ urged to move on a floor price for alcohol. 16th November 2017. http://www.hapai.co.nz/content/nz-urged-move-floor-price-alcohol
- Ministry of Justice (2016) Alcohol minimum pricing policies. http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol/alcohol-minimum-pricing-report/
- Ainge Roy E. (2017) Ban alcohol from supermarkets, urges New Zealand medical authority. The Guardian, 7th August 2017. http://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/07/ban-alcohol-from-supermarkets-urges-new-zealand-medical-authority
- Chambers T, Pearson AL, Stanley J, Smith M, Barra M, Ni Mhurchu C, Signal L. Children’s exposure to alcohol marketing within supermarkets: An objective analysis using GPS technology and wearable cameras. Health & Place 2017; 46:274–280.
- Babor T, Caetano R, Casswell S, Edwards G, Geisbrecht N, Graham K, Grube J, Hill L, Holder H D, Homel R, Livingston M, Osterberg E, Rehm J, Room R, Rossow I. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity. Research and public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
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The thorny issue of alcohol control in Aotearoa/New Zealand: developments in Ireland
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