Pricing of alcohol in<scp>C</scp>anada: A comparison of provincial policies and harm‐reduction opportunities

Giesbrecht, Norman; Wettlaufer, Ashley; Thomas, Gerald; Stockwell, Tim; Thompson, Kara; April, Nicole; Asbridge, Mark; Cukier, Samantha; Mann, Robert E.; McAllister, Janet; Murie, Andrew; Pauley, Chris; Plamondon, Laurie; Vallance, Kate

doi:10.1111/dar.12338

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(38 reference statements)

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“…As a result, the French-speaking population of Quebec is underrepresented in the study since the majority of the population (i.e., 85.4%) only speak French [ 96 ]. Additionally, the sampling method was not designed to provide provincial-level results, preventing us from analyzing how inter-provincial variation in alcohol and cannabis policy and regulations [ 97 – 99 ] and public health restrictions [ 80 ] may affect people’s use of cannabis and alcohol. Finally, cross-sectional data were collected; therefore, conclusions regarding causal relationships could not be made.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with alcohol and cannabis use: a latent class analysis

et al. 2022

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Background Mental health problems and substance use co-morbidities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic are a public health priority. Identifying individuals at high-risk of developing mental health problems and potential sequela can inform mitigating strategies. We aimed to identify distinct groups of individuals (i.e., latent classes) based on patterns of self-reported mental health symptoms and investigate their associations with alcohol and cannabis use. Methods We used data from six successive waves of a web-based cross-sectional survey of adults aged 18 years and older living in Canada (6,021 participants). We applied latent class analysis to three domains of self-reported mental health most likely linked to effects of the pandemic: anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Logistic regression was used to characterize latent class membership, estimate the association of class membership with alcohol and cannabis use, and perform sex-based analyses. Results We identified two distinct classes: (1) individuals with low scores on all three mental health indicators (no/low-symptoms) and (2) those reporting high scores across the three measures (high-symptoms). Between 73.9 and 77.1% of participants were in the no/low-symptoms class and 22.9–26.1% of participants were in the high-symptom class. We consistently found across all six waves that individuals at greater risk of being in the high-symptom class were more likely to report worrying about getting COVID-19 with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) between 1.72 (95%CI:1.17–2.51) and 3.51 (95%CI:2.20–5.60). Those aged 60 + were less likely to be in this group with aORs (95%CI) between 0.26 (0.15–0.44) and 0.48 (0.29–0.77) across waves. We also found some factors associated with class membership varied at different time points. Individuals in the high-symptom class were more likely to use cannabis at least once a week (aOR = 2.28, 95%CI:1.92–2.70), drink alcohol heavily (aOR = 1.71, 95%CI:1.49–1.96); and increase the use of cannabis (aOR = 3.50, 95%CI:2.80–4.37) and alcohol (aOR = 2.37, 95%CI:2.06–2.74) during the pandemic. Women in the high-symptom class had lower odds of drinking more alcohol during the pandemic than men. Conclusions We identified the determinants of experiencing high anxiety, depression, and loneliness symptoms and found a significant association with alcohol and cannabis consumption. This suggests that initiatives and supports are needed to address mental health and substance use multi-morbidities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with alcohol and cannabis use: a latent class analysis

et al. 2022

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“…Generally, alcohol policy is set at the national level for most countries. Exceptions to this are the United States and Canada (Brand et al, 2007;Giesbrecht et al, 2016). Apart from the national legal alcohol purchasing age of 21 years in the US, alcohol taxation and availability policies are set at the state or provincial levels in the US and Canada.…”

Section: Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multilevel Analysis of Regional and Gender Differences in the Drinking Behavior of 23 Countries

Grittner

Wilsnack

Kuntsche

et al. 2019

Substance Use & Misuse

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Introduction.-Drinking behavior differs not only among countries, but also among regions within a country. However, the extent of such variation and the interplay between gender and regional differences in drinking have not been explored and are addressed in this study.Methods.-Data stem from 105,061 individuals from 23 countries of the GENACIS dataset. The outcomes were heavy drinking (10 /20 grams or more of pure ethanol per day for women / men), and risky single occasion drinking [RSOD] (5+ drinks per occasion) at least monthly. Analyses used binary logistic mixed models. Variance at specific levels was measured by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Gender differences in outcomes were measured using gender ratios.Results.-Country-level ICC was 0.13 (95% CI: 0.09-0.18) for heavy drinking and 0.16 (95% CI: 0.10-0.26) for RSOD. Within-country regional-level ICC for heavy drinking and RSOD was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.009-0.05; 0.01-0.04, resp.), implying that 2% of variation in heavy drinking and RSOD was explained by regional variation. Variance in drinking indicators was larger for women compared to men across countries. Gender ratios were higher in low-and middle-income countries.Conclusions.-Regional variations in risky drinking were more often present in low-to middleincome countries as well in a few higher income countries, and could be due to cultural and demographic differences. Variations in gender differences were larger on the country level than on the regional level, with lower income countries showing larger differences. These results can help to better identify specific high-risk groups for prevention strategies.

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“…Effective pricing policies can reduce abuse. For instance, taxing stronger alcoholic products, and correspondingly reducing the taxes on lower‐strength beverages can lower overall per capita consumption (Giesbrecht et al : 295). Altering the taxation regime and increasing (some) alcohol taxes is also a relatively easy policy to implement in an administrative sense, and often means net increases in public revenue.…”

Section: Regulatory Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Altering the taxation regime and increasing (some) alcohol taxes is also a relatively easy policy to implement in an administrative sense, and often means net increases in public revenue. Similarly, the imposition of minimum drink prices at bars and restaurants could help to reduce alcohol‐related admissions to hospitals whereas more retail outlets in a given geographic area has been positively associated with an increase in alcohol‐related injuries (Giesbrecht et al : 295). Governments also play a vital role in providing information to the public regarding possible negative health effects of indulging in order to lower consumption and associated harms; low‐risk drinking guidelines are one example of these efforts.…”

Section: Regulatory Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxing the tempted: Personal addictions, sustainable revenues and the public good

Bird¹,

Dutil²,

Stoney³

2019

Can Public Adm

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The regulation of gaming, tobacco and alcohol is challenged by new realities. First, fewer people are convinced that government regulation of these indulgences is consistent with a rights-based society. Second, while provincial budgets have continued to climb, the revenues drawn from "sin taxes" (excise taxes from tobacco and alcohol and revenues from gambling) have declined as a proportion of total revenues. As a result, these taxes will not cover the important social and health care costs triggered by the new permissiveness. This study contributes to budget theory by examining the changing policy landscape and sheds light on how Canadian provinces in particular have attempted to balance individual rights, social oversight and provincial revenues. It concludes by speculating on other addictive products that could soon be framed as worthy of taxation.Sommaire : La réglementation concernant les jeux, le tabac et l'alcool est mise au défi par de nouvelles réalités. Tout d'abord, moins de personnes sont convaincues que la réglementation gouvernementale de ces indulgences est en accord avec une société fondée sur le respect des droits. Ensuite, alors que les budgets provinciaux n'ont cessé d'augmenter, les revenus tirés des « taxes sur les vices » (taxes d'accise sur le tabac et l'alcool, et revenus venant des jeux) ont baissé en tant que proportion des recettes totales. Par conséquent, ces taxes ne pourront pas couvrir les coûts important de services sociaux et de soins de santé découlant de cette nouvelle permissivité. En étudiant l'évolution du paysage des politiques, cette étude participe à la théorie du budget, et met en lumière la manière dont les provinces canadiennes en particulier ont tenté de trouver un équilibre entre les droits individuels, le contrôle social et les revenus provinciaux. Nous concluons en émettant des suppositions sur d'autres produits créant une dépendance et qui pourraient bientôt mériter de faire l'objet de taxes d'accise.Canada has normalized the use of cannabis, and its provinces are now retailing it, adding a new dimension to the concept of "public service." Already on the horizon are calls for the decriminalization of drugs like heroin (Germany,

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Pricing of alcohol inCanada: A comparison of provincial policies and harm‐reduction opportunities

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

Self-reported mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with alcohol and cannabis use: a latent class analysis

Self-reported mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with alcohol and cannabis use: a latent class analysis

A Multilevel Analysis of Regional and Gender Differences in the Drinking Behavior of 23 Countries

Taxing the tempted: Personal addictions, sustainable revenues and the public good

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