Environmental Strategies for Prevention
A Guide To Helping the Prevention Professional Work Effectively in the Community

Module 2: Types of Environmental Approaches - Page 5 of 26

Policy

Policies are broadly defined as "standards for behavior that are formalized to some degree [i.e. written], and embodied in rules, regulations, and operations procedures." They include public policies, such as local ordinances and State or Federal laws, and institutional policies created by the alcohol industry or other businesses, colleges, schools, workplaces, the media and others. ref

Policies do more than change the law. Changing the formalized standards for behaviors may also change public perceptions and impose or change responsibilities within systems.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) maintains a comprehensive list of policies at the State and Federal levels, which can be accessed via the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS). APIS is designed primarily as an electronic tool for research. It provides authoritative, detailed, and comparable information on alcohol-related policies in the United States. In addition, the Alcohol Epidemiology Program at the University of Minnesota has compiled a report, Alcohol Policies in the United States: Highlights from the 50 States, that provides background on selected policies and laws affecting alcohol use and distribution.

Convening a Local Policy Panel can help community prevention coalitions or other cross-agency community groups establish a panel to explore possible policy solutions to issues of concern.

Policies codify norms and practices, thereby providing the authority to make sure norms and practices are followed. Some policies are legislated, which means that it may be necessary to build public support to change or strengthen the laws. For example, there are a whole set of laws that affect alcohol availability and use. These laws are grouped into four areas:

Other policies are implemented less formally and on a much smaller scale, but they can be just as effective in changing behavior. For example, if the organizers of an overseas class trip institute a zero tolerance rule for alcohol use mandating that students who violate the rule be sent home immediately, this school policy may even supersede local laws and customs allowing underage drinking.

School policies at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels include measures such as random drug testing of public school bus drivers, defined policies for students who violate alcohol and other drug laws, and the ban of all alcohol use on college campuses.

As prevention professionals have learned in the past, policies need public support to be effective -- and this support has to be ongoing. Just as communities can organize to put a law into effect, so too can they organize for its repeal.

To get a policy passed, it is important to understand public attitudes. The Youth Access to Alcohol Public Opinion is a national opinion survey of U.S. adults that assesses the public's knowledge of and attitudes toward a variety of alcohol-related public policies. In the most recent survey, 29 of 33 alcohol policies had high levels of public support (50 percent or more). Respondents were most supportive (85 percent or more) of policies restricting public drinking, requiring training for servers and bar owners, instituting tip lines to report illegal use and sales, and penalizing adults who provide alcohol illegally to minors. ref

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