SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION, continued

The alcohol prevention strategies discussed in this guide included those aimed at reducing alcohol availability and enforcing existing laws and policies. Responsible beverage service, outlet density, and hours of operation interventions have demonstrated positive effects on drinking behavior and on alcohol-related problems. Minimum purchase age enforcement has demonstrated positive effects on availability but not use, and zero-tolerance enforcement has produced positive effects with respect to traffic crashes involving youth. All of these strategies also serve to influence community norms regarding the acceptability of alcohol consumption by youth and irresponsible alcohol consumption by adults.

The environmental strategies addressing tobacco use focused on two strategies with particularly strong effects on smoking behavior: price increases through tax policies, and clean air laws and policies. These interventions serve to limit tobacco availability and limit opportunities to engage in tobacco use. The effect of youth access to tobacco enforcement is primarily on reducing tobacco availability for youth, although some community studies found positive effects on smoking behavior as well. Counter-advertising campaigns function primarily to educate the public and change community norms regarding the acceptability for smoking.

Because illicit drugs are by definition illegal, it is difficult to directly affect product packaging, promotion, and price for these substances through changes in traditional legal and economic systems. On the other hand, illicit drug use can be influenced by citizen action affecting the place of product sales and product consumption. As with all community-based initiatives, it is important to engage the affected community in environmental interventions aimed at illicit drug use.

This Best Practices also provided information on the association between alcohol and illicit drug use and crime. It is reasoned that where environmental prevention strategies are employed, such as citizen surveillance and alcohol outlet density restrictions, crime rates are likely to decrease as the conditions that contribute to drug use are eliminated.