Marin Institute, the
alcohol industry watchdog, held a news conference and town hall meeting in
Los Angeles today to release the disturbing findings of its landmark
report, The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Such a
comprehensive study has never been done in California.
Before a large gathering of public health experts, policymakers, and
community activists, digital clocks ticked away in real time the incredible
economic costs ($1,200 per second or $38.4 billion annually), incidents of
harm (100 per hour or 921,928 annually) and deaths (1 per hour or 9,439
annually).
Marin's study calculates that moderate-to-high alcohol consumption in
California is costing roughly $1,000 per resident. By comparison, tobacco
costs California approximately $550 per resident. The study also estimates
$25.3 billion in lost productivity and reduced earnings.
"What makes these study results both so complex and so tragic is how
alcohol-related harm takes so many forms and affects so many lives," said
Michele Simon, Marin Institute research and policy director. Simon
co-authored the report with Ted Miller of the Pacific Institute for
Research and Evaluation and Simon Rosen, Marin Institute research analyst.
Marin Institute compared the economic losses to those from natural
disasters and concluded that alcohol costs far outpace earthquakes and
fires. Unlike earthquakes, fires, floods and mudslides, which come along
infrequently, the catastrophe of alcohol in California happens annually,
with devastating effects, and can be prevented." Rosen noted.
The study also estimates an additional $48.8 billion in quality of life
costs, due to the pain and suffering of victims and families. "These harms
are not just economic, they are also deeply personal. Quantifying the pain
and suffering endured by numerous people from alcohol harm may be the most
compelling result of this study," Rosen added.
Librarian and community activist, Manya Anderson, a life-long resident
of South Los Angeles, continues to witness firsthand the devastation of
alcohol in her own family as well as in the communities of South L.A. "As
residents, it is clear to us that both African American and Latino families
have borne the brunt of the alcohol industry's sale of liquor in our
communities. More liquor in our community means poor health and a lack of
safety."
California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) observed
that "Whether it's consumed as a vintage wine from a prestigious
appellation or a fortified variant, a micro-brew or malt liquor, an alcopop
or high-end distilled spirit, alcohol's cost is much more than the price
paid for a drink at the corner liquor store or neighborhood bar." He added,
"As a legislator, I am looking forward to engaging my colleagues along with
representatives of the industry in a discussion of the report's findings
and recommendations."
Marin Institute is calling for a number of steps to reverse the
catastrophe, including higher alcohol taxes to reduce excessive consumption
and the related harm and costs. While the harmful cost of alcohol is equal
to $2.80 per drink, current alcohol taxes come to only 8 cents per drink.
"The alcohol lobby has been very effective in minimizing their taxes and
fees to just 1.7 percent of their income from sales," noted Bruce
Livingston, Marin Institute's executive director. "It's time we hold Big
Alcohol accountable by getting them to pay their fair share."
Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D., MPH, Public Health Officer and Director of
the County of Los Angeles Public Health Department said, "Marin Institute's
report is a much needed reminder of the harm and costs associated with
alcohol consumption in California."
The study will be published next month by the peer-reviewed journal,
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. To download study findings
visit marininstitute.
Marin Institute
marininstitute
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