Article content continued

Albertans are among the most eager drinkers in the country and face some of the most lax liquor laws. The province has no minimum price laws for off-site alcohol sales and there are no government-owned liquor stores.

Alcohol controls take different forms, from the hours when booze can be sold, to the number of retailers owned by a government, to the price charged for alcoholic drinks. In British Columbia, an increase in privately owned liquor stores correlated with rising rates of alcohol-related deaths.

Unsurprisingly, the cost of booze plays a big role. The report finds price to be the most effective method at reducing consumption and alcohol-related harm.

“The most effective policy is just to jack up the prices,” said Stockwell. “It’s also the single most unpopular because it’s such a popular substance. Most people don’t believe it’s effective. They’d like to believe, ‘Oh, a heavy drinker will always get their alcohol.’ (…) The data are really clear.”

Stockwell points to changes in Saskatchewan’s minimum pricing laws, which were tied to alcohol content, and changes to alcohol taxes in Alaska.

“If you just eyeball the lines of the sales they fall off a cliff.”

Stockwell says one way to get people on board with higher minimum prices is to present not just that increased cost of alcohol will reduce consumption, but show them where the tax will go. Setting aside a five-cent levy from each sale to be put towards treatment services for addiction and mental health is much more popular among the public than simply saying drinks will cost more, he said.