13th Alcohol Policy Conference Preventing Alcohol Problems Among Youth: Policy Approaches

Friday - Sunday, March 14 - 16, 2003

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

 Notes from Advisory Meeting on Alcohol Policy 13 conference, University of California offices, Washington, DC, Friday, October 19, 2001, 1:00 – 2:15 p.m.

 Attending: Gayle Boyd, NIAAA; Kim Miller, CSPI; Paul Kesner, ED; Richard Lucey, ED. Staff: Tom Colthurst

 1.     History. Tom reviewed history of planning to date, including ongoing identification of advisors, potential cooperating organizations, and motivation for Education Development Center to step forward as prime sponsor.

 2.     RWJF status. EDC has filed an application for a planning grant with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We’ve received verbal assurance of forthcoming grant award and now awaiting formal announcement. Until receipt of actual award, we are proceeding cautiously, e.g., are not yet able to announce specific March 2003 dates or exact Boston hotel venue.

 3.     Short-term publicity. Plans envision a more public unveiling of plans – via two-page flier at APHA next week – and launch of website at www.attc.ucsd.edu/ap13/index.html. This website (under construction) summarizes the AP series, states AP13 objectives, introduces EDC, chronologizes the 12 prior conferences, identifies the advisors who have indicated an interest in an active or lead role for their agencies, and provides ‘place holders’ for further information to come. 

4.     Upcoming milestones:

 a.      Early Nov 2001 – RWJF grant finalized; hotel and dates secured.

b.     Later Nov 2001 Advisors conference call – to develop a preliminary agenda in order to recruit and confirm keynote speakers for purposes of a CSAP conference grant application.

c.      Jan 2002 CSAP conference grant application – workplan to emphasize scholarships for community-based personnel otherwise unable to participate and select speaker support.

d.     Spring 2002 – release of call for proposals (on premise that about 50 percent of conference content will be concurrent sessions – workshops and posters – fueled by field submissions; balance invitational, i.e., keynoters and panels).

e.      Fall 2002 – review of presentation proposals and formation of semi-final agenda; publicity gears up; scholarship application instructions disseminated.

f.       Dec 2002 – scholarship application deadline.

g.      Jan 2003 – scholarship recipients selected and notified.

h.      Mar 2003 – conference convenes.

5.     Agenda concerns and recommendations. Advisors offered a number of agenda topics for consideration in next iteration of the preliminary agenda, i.e.:

a.      Federal alcohol policy, e.g., current interests in Congress for a national media campaign to reduce underage drinking (H1509 and S866) – sponsored by Byrd, Royball, Warner (NV), et al. However, industry trying to subvert to make it more general. (History with ONDCP media campaign) Industry skittish because of MADD ‘date rape’ PSA.

b.     Alcohol marketing, e.g., alco-pops (BATF) ‘starter suds’ – should be testing with youth focus groups

c.      Success story on .08 BAC

d.     Counter messages about lobbying clout of alcohol industry, so public health advocates have to use other measures.

e.      Regional (New England) concerns. It might be prudent to have dual marketing strategy, emphasizing New England interests within that market…but stressing national/international scope for the larger audience. (As result of this concern, we modified flier for APHA to emphasize latter rather than former.)

f.       International issues, e.g., European Health Ministers, overseas marketing (David Jernigan), Derek Rutherford, Syracuse University Global Issues conference (2000),

g.      DC ABC overhaul with RUD coalition and IHE involvement (CARE Coalition).

h.      Need to follow through on recruitment of OJJDP representative to advisory group.

i.       Youth component to move forward RUD activities; MADD youth leadership forums.

Notes by Tom Colthurst