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Delaware Lawmakers Propose Ban on Online Alcohol Marketing to Kids

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Created: Thursday, April 23 2015 10:50
April 24, 2015
Attorney General Matt Denn with some of the sponsors of online privacy legislation. www.delaware.gov.

Delaware lawmakers proposed an Online Privacy and Protection Act this week that includes restrictions on alcohol marketing to children. The bill is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere, and state House of Representatives Speaker Peter C. Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach. Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn is supporting the package of bills containing the alcohol ad ban.

Such restrictions are sorely needed. Currently, alcohol companies are allowed to self-regulate, with the industry promoting its own guidelines for advertising and marketing practices and virtually nonexistent enforcement. Alcohol Justice and other public health advocates have long decried the self-regulation charade as ineffective in protecting youth from alcohol advertising. The system's weak guidelines allow producers to overexpose youth to alcohol marketing and advertising, with no monitoring, enforcement, or penalties for violations.

Online advertising to youth is particularly problematic, as there are many routes available to expose children, including targeted advertisements, fan-based pages such as those for sports teams, shared content such as videos, and interactive games and contests sponsored by alcohol producers. Exposure is difficult to track, allowing alcohol producers to disavow their role in providing, disseminating, and encouraging the sharing of alcohol marketing content to children. A recent Diageo and Sean "Diddy" Combs Ciroc Vodka campaign using Instagram, the most popular social media app among teenagers, exemplifies this trend. An Australian study released this week concludes that alcohol producers use social media to aggressively target youth through sports sponsorship, encouraging alcohol consumption as an integral part of sports participation and spectatorship. Recent research has also demonstrated the strong influence of branded advertising in getting youth to drink particular alcohol brands, creating customers for life.

Delaware is the first state to specifically propose this kind of ban on online alcohol ads targeting children, but should not be the last. While the online privacy bill was just introduced and must make its way to the governor's desk, the state has taken an important step in protecting its youth from harmful online alcohol marketing and promotion.




Industry Attempts to Quash Effective Public Health Policy, a.k.a. Alcohol Taxes

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Created: Thursday, April 23 2015 16:38
April 24, 2015


Calls for state and federal alcohol tax increases, and new contributions to decades of research showing that higher taxes reduce harm, have met the usual industry tactics to distract, intimidate, and otherwise thwart efforts to implement even the smallest of alcohol tax increases. Alcohol industry lobbyists and PR spinners have been in full force to dominate public conversation about alcohol taxes in the U.S. For instance:
  • As it has done each year since 2009, beer producers such as A- B InBev and MillerCoors (with trade groups Beer Institute & Brewers Association) proposed cuts to the federal beer tax in 2015 to preempt any potential proposals to raise them. Aggressive lobbying to support alcohol tax reductions is ongoing. Meanwhile, the federal beer tax rate has lost 57% of its real value since last increased in 1991, costing the government billions in lost revenue each year.
  • A recent peer-reviewed study showed conclusive evidence that a modest alcohol tax increase in Illinois significantly reduced drink-driving fatalities, and suggested the potential for an alcohol tax increase to save thousands of lives nationwide. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) immediately deployed a panicked press release attempting discredit the evidence.
  • Industry trade groups immediately ran after a recent Washington Post post about how cheap alcohol has become (at its most affordable in more than 30 years), with their argument that Joe 6-pack couldn't afford his beer after a long workday if a modest tax increase were implemented. Yet recent research shows that the average moderate drinker would pay less than $30 per year under a 25-cent-per-drink tax increase. And if alcohol companies really cared about the financial life of regular Joes and Jills, why would they cut their jobs ?

These tactics are business as usual for Big Alcohol in its fight to keep alcohol taxes artificially low, despite conclusions from public health experts that raising the price of alcohol by raising taxes is an effective policy to increase health and safety. Meanwhile taxpayers, the government, and families continue to bear the economic burden from alcohol-related harm, estimated at $223.5 billion annually and $94 billion in direct government costs. 

Visit our Charge for Harm campaign page and read our fact sheets to learn more about how alcohol taxes reduce harm and related costs.


SAVE THE DATE: 2015 REEL Recovery Film Festival, San Francisco Bay Area

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Created: Monday, March 30 2015 17:06
March 31, 2015

The 2nd Annual REEL Recovery Film Festival & Symposium - San Francisco Bay Area Edition is coming June 11-14, 2015, to the New People Cinema in San Francisco, and the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.

Some of this year's expected highlights:
  • Screening of Patch Adams and special tribute to Robin Williams
  • An intimate conversation about Women in Recovery between Kitty Dukakis and Jan Wahl
  • The Northern CA premiere of Girl on the Edge, staring Peter Coyote
  • The Northern CA premiere of Kids Are Dying, which looks at prescription drug misuse by youth
  • Comedians on Recovery - local, well-known comedians doing stand-up on very important issues
  • Chasing the Muse - Stone Cold Sober - a candid panel discussion about creativity and recovery
  • A special screening of How I Got Over with film director Nicole Boxer joined by Dr. Sushma Taylor for Q&A
  • Book release event for Scott Steven's Adding Fire to the Fuel at Book Passage - Ferry Building, SF 

Save the dates June 11 -14, 2015, and check the festival website (FilmFestSFBay.org) for updates.

Tickets will be available mid-May. Sponsorship opportunities are available now - contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with inquiries.

More Articles ...

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  2. Victory: Kentucky Passes Bill to Protect Three-tier System
  3. TTB Approves Labels for Powdered Alcohol; States Take Action
  4. Alcohol Tax Increase Proposals - City & State

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