Dr. Rivera publishes report for Alaska ABC Board on analysis of strategies to reduce underage tobacco and alcohol sales

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, has published a report for the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, "An Analysis of Strategies Designed to Reduce Sales of Alcohol and Tobacco to Underage Persons: A Preliminary Report."  Khristy Parker, Research Specialist, is a co-author of the report.

The study was requested by the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) which is responsible for enforcing age-of-sale laws, and focuses on identifying ways enforcement practices for alcohol sales could be modified to achieve higher compliance rates with age-of-sale laws, comparable to those seen in tobacco enforcement.

Among the study recommendations are:

• Amending ABC Board regulations to implement a penalty structure that includes mandatory license suspensions, revocations, and mandatory fines.
• Increasing the number of compliance checks at each licensed location in the state.
• Enhancing funding and resources for merchant education and compliance check enforcement efforts.
• Developing a multi-pronged underage drinking reduction strategy.
• Collecting data and evaluating enforcement efforts to assess effectiveness of strategies.

Data from the report were presented by the ABC Board to the Alaska Legislature in February of this year.