New health report takes aim at alcohol

A newly released study by Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health paints a grim picture of the rippling impact of alcohol sales and consumption across the region, disclosing, among other things, that close to 1 in 5 high school students reported at least one episode of binge drinking in the past month.

The report draws a direct correlation between communities with a high number of alcohol outlets and a variety of harms, including violent crime, motor vehicle crashes and alcohol-related deaths. These neighborhoods, mostly in poorer areas of the county, are up to 10 times more likely to have increased rates of violent crime and three times more at risk for alcohol-involved crashes, according to the study, called “Reducing Alcohol-Related Crimes in Los Angeles County.”

“Each year, 2,500 people in the county die from alcohol-related causes, with the loss of approximately 78,000 years of potential life,” Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding said in an introduction to the report. “In addition to the devastating personal and societal effects of alcohol abuse on individuals, families and communities, excessive alcohol consumption costs Los Angeles County an estimated $10.8 billion annually, or roughly $1,000 for every resident.”

Fielding said in an interview that he was particularly troubled by the high rate of binge drinking among younger people.

“They have less experience and don’t understand the limitations of what they can and cannot do,” Fielding said. “We already know they are risk-takers in the way they drive at higher speeds. It’s a very bad combination, one that every family should be concerned about. It’s very disturbing.”

The report, which examines the density of alcohol outlets in 117 communities and cities across the county, calls for a series of measures aimed at reducing alcohol availability and consumption.

Fielding specifically called for an increase in alcohol taxes through legislation or ballot initiatives. “We should be doing everything we can to reduce consumption,” he said. “We need to change the economics.”

California’s last increase in alcohol taxes, he said, occurred in 1991. The study states that only Louisiana, for example, has a lower wine tax than California.

For the complete study, including a community-by-community ranking of alcohol outlet density and related harms, click here.

Posted 4/21/11