Building Momentum to Prevent Alcohol Advertising On Public Property

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MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                   
For Events Occurring 1/4/14 


                                                                  
 

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA (February 3, 2014) – Reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising on public property is an important goal for policy action.

What:  Presentation of Real World Experiences & Data Used to Develop & Implement Successful Community Campaigns To Reduce Harmful Alcohol Advertising

When:  Tuesday, February 4, 2014 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Where: CADCA National Leadership Forum, Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD

Who:             

• Erica Leary, MPH, Program Manager, North Coastal Prevention Coalition / Vista Community Clinic
• Jorge Castillo, Advocacy Director, Alcohol Justice

Why:

• Local governments bear the brunt of alcohol-related public health and safety costs that far exceed revenue generated by alcohol advertising
• Exposure to alcohol ads influences youth to start drinking earlier and to drink more, and leads to alcohol-related problems later in life
• Alcohol advertising bans can reduce youth exposure to alcohol advertising
• Transit agencies and cities that currently accept alcohol advertising should ban it
•  Legislators should work to ban alcohol advertising on property that the government controls
• State legislators and Congress should pass legislation that requires transit agencies to adopt policies that ban alcohol advertising on transit property as a precondition of transportation funding
• The Los Angeles Coalition to Ban Alcohol Ads led the 2011 campaign to ban alcohol ads on 6,000 bus benches in Los Angeles and is currently working to ban alcohol ads on all public property in L.A.
• Vista's digital billboard campaign was a national example of the importance of environmental review

“The research and support provided by Alcohol Justice was a tremendous resource in our efforts to prevent alcohol advertising on public land in Vista,” said Erica Leary, Program Manager, North Coastal Prevention Coalition. “The plans to construct digital billboards was abandoned for various reasons, but our coalition is happy that the city will not be providing a venue for alcohol advertising.” 

Media Availability:  For a copy of the presentation, or for interviews, call: Jorge Castillo - (213) 840-3336 or Erica Leary – (760) 822-4917

More Information:  Read: “These Bus Ads Don’t Stop for Children: Alcohol Advertising Policy on Public Transit”