Latest news with #alcoholpolicy
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill allowing 'social districts' in NH communities awaits governor's signature
A bill on Gov. Kelly Ayotte's desk awaiting her signature is creating quite a buzz around the state. HB467 would allow cities and towns in New Hampshire to establish 'social districts' — areas where people are allowed to purchase alcohol at local bars and restaurants, then take it with them in a to-go cup while moving through designated 'sip and stroll' areas. State Rep. Bill Boyd, R-Merrimack, told members of the state Senate Commerce Committee he modeled HB 467 after legislation in North Carolina, working closely with Chief Mark Armaganian, director of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission's Division of Enforcement and Licensing. 'It's a local-option bill,' Boyd said. 'Should this be enacted, if communities want to have a social district, they can do so, and they can work with liquor enforcement and their local law enforcement to create a plan that makes the best sense for that community.' Voters would have to approve creation of a social district at town meeting or a city election. Local officials would determine the boundaries of the social district, then work with the liquor commission and the state to be able to make sure that all requirements under state law are met and develop a working plan to ensure safety in the district. Brodie Deshaies, a legislative advocate with the New Hampshire Municipal Association, said the association supports the bill. 'We've had members reach out in the past and contact us about how they could set up a process like this,' Deshaies said. 'There was nothing that currently permitted towns to adopt these types of districts or to allow people to carry open containers between businesses that are all in close vicinity of each other. 'We view this as a great private/public partnership, and the state helping fulfill its role to help create guidelines — or guardrails — along that process.' Gauging interest It's unclear how interested businesses in places like Manchester are in establishing social districts — at least at this time. Owners of several downtown businesses along Elm Street seemed indifferent about the concept when quizzed this past week. Jodie Nazaka, Manchester's economic development director, said her department doesn't have a position either for or against HB 467. 'I haven't had any businesses or aldermen express interest in establishing this type of district in Manchester,' Nazaka said in an email. 'If there were general interest from business owners in the downtown area, we would certainly look into the merits of the concept.' Nazaka said she has seen social districts successfully implemented in other areas of the country, including Raleigh, North Carolina, which she experienced last summer. 'There are definitely rules and restrictions associated with these districts, so they're not as unrestricted as some might imagine, like Bourbon Street in New Orleans or the Las Vegas Strip,' Nazaka said. 'I'm interested in seeing where this conversation may lead. For now, at least to my knowledge, there isn't much interest in pursuing this in Manchester.' Boyd said communities like Raleigh and Savannah, Georgia, have had 'tremendous success' with social districts. 'There's so many different types of social districts that exist now today, in Georgia and North Carolina and Michigan, the creativity as to what can happen as a result of this particular concept can only benefit the economic development of a particular community that seeks to create it,' Boyd said. Boyd said Tuscan Village in Salem has its own social district, which operates on private property, but they worked closely with Armaganian and the liquor enforcement team to come up with something that makes sense for the site. 'Government-sponsored drinking' Not everyone loves the idea of social districts. Bob Bevill of Merrimack, a justice of the peace in Hillsborough County, submitted testimony via email opposing the bill, calling it 'government-sponsored 'pub-crawling'' that will create an enforcement burden on towns, could increase liability premiums for some businesses, and provides 'absolutely no benefit to the taxpayers.' 'Based on similar legislation from North Carolina, these 'zones' would allow for specially-marked alcoholic beverage cups to be transported out of the bars and restaurants' where people 'may freely walk from place to place carrying their alcoholic beverages in public,' Bevill writes. 'These cups would be 'containers (that) clearly displays a logo or some other mark that is unique to the social district in which it will be consumed.' Hence, government-sponsored drinking.' Bevill asked who would be responsible for determining if a customer has been overserved in a social district. 'In most establishments, it is the waitstaff or barkeep who has a running tab and knows exactly how much alcohol has been purchased,' Bevill writes. 'But between zone businesses? If someone has too much to drink and kills a family, do we apportion the damages against all of the merchants in the social district? Or do we have to investigate which establishment served them last?' Margaret Konze of Pembroke was short and to the point on the subject. 'We don't need more public drunkenness in New Hampshire.' Drew Cline, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, spoke before the Senate Commerce Committee in support of the bill. He said he often visits his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, which has a downtown social district. In the past, it was 'always the same thing, looking around at the vacant storefronts,' Cline said. 'Last year I went back, and I am not exaggerating, there is not a single vacant storefront in downtown Hickory, North Carolina. In the entire downtown. 'Hickory is a mill town, it was a textile and furniture manufacturing town — this might sound familiar to a lot of people in New Hampshire — and not a single vacant storefront.' pfeely@
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Health advocates express concern about potential alcohol sales changes in N.S.
As the Nova Scotia government prepares to uncork consultation on whether to expand retail options for alcohol in the province, a coalition of health groups is calling for those talks to be transparent and for consideration of potential risks to play a factor in any decision. "Talking to groups that are trying to make a difference and move the needle on health outcomes that are impacted by alcohol is a really important voice to have when we do these types of consultations," said Kara Thompson, an associate professor, research chair in substance use policy and prevention, and director of the Institute for Innovation in Health at St. Francis Xavier University. Thompson also chairs the Nova Scotia Alcohol Policy Coalition. The group sent a letter this week to all 55 MLAs in the province, along with senior health and finance officials, outlining their concerns with the potential of expanded sales points. Signatories on the letter also include representatives for the Canadian Cancer Society, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor from the IWK Health Centre and organizations that fight intimate partner and family violence. Counter to key government mandate "[The government] has committed to fixing health-care in this province and the suggestion that we expand access to alcohol is directly counter to that mandate," said Thompson in an interview. "There is no doubt that increased access to alcohol is going to increase health-care costs." The letter to MLAs says that in 2022, alcohol was responsible for 571 deaths and almost 44,200 emergency department and hospital visits across the province. Alcohol-related harms cost the province hundreds of millions of dollars a year in related expenses, the letter says. Government officials confirmed last month that the idea of expanding sales for alcohol in the province to locations such as convenience stores was being kicked around. At the time, Premier Tim Houston said he was intrigued by the idea, but pledged "extensive consultation" before any changes happen. Details from gov't to come Finance Minister John Lohr's department will lead consultations when they begin. Lohr was not made available for an interview Wednesday, but a department spokesperson said in a statement the government is working to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, and changes in the alcohol sector "may be a key part of that effort." "Before any decisions can be made about how alcohol is sold, we first need to engage with stakeholders to better understand the broader issues and what Nova Scotians may want to see," said Heather Fairbairn. "We'll be happy to share more about what that process will look like shortly before the engagement begins." Representatives for the province's craft brewing and wine growers associations support the idea, provided any new shelf space comes with requirements for a certain amount of Nova Scotia-made products. They also want to be consulted. 'Significant access' already available Mike Hammoud, Atlantic vice-president for the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, declined an interview request. In a statement, Hammoud said the organization has not been invited so far for any consultation but has long supported opening up new sales channels for provincial producers of beer, wine and ready-to-drink products. "Our members have a stellar track record of retailing age-restricted products," the statement said. "We look forward to the day when Nova Scotia and the other Maritime provinces join the majority of Eastern Canadians (Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland) who already have the choice to buy local beer and related products in licensed and inspected retail convenience stores." But in their letter to MLAs, Thompson and coalition members say it's unclear why there is a need for more retail options given that there are already 110 NSLC retail stores and 65 agency stores. There are also four private retailers in the Halifax area and craft breweries, wineries and other producers can sell direct to customers. "Nova Scotia already has significant access to alcohol and a privatized retail system," the letter said. If the government does go ahead with opening up sales, coalition members are calling for "appropriate guardrails," such as requirements for training for people working in stores, rules about how close alcohol can be sold in proximity to schools, and parameters around what kinds of products are allowed to be sold in various retail outlets.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Whyalla City Council looks to impose city-wide alcohol-free zone
Whyalla City Council has unanimously voted in favour of extending its existing dry zone to the whole city. It comes after an extensive public consultation with residents, frontline services and other stakeholders. It is an offence for someone to consume or have opened liquor containers in a dry area. With 2,500 responses, Mayor Phill Stone said the response was the biggest the council had received. "A lot of the comments were about safety, the feeling of people," he said. "Council is listening to the people … yes, we've always known it's not a silver bullet. "It's one of those issues where there are always going to be some people disappointed." Though she was supportive of the proposal, Kuring Gai woman and councillor, Tamy Pond, said more needed to be done to address the issue. She said a dry zone was one of the small elements that could be implemented to help police. "I see it as just one step in a huge picture ... we also need to have more services for our community as well," she said. Peter D'Abbs, from the University of Queensland School of Public Health, said governments too often focused on restricting the supply of alcohol or where alcohol was consumed. "We also need to consider how to reduce demand for alcohol," Professor D'Abbs said. "That consists of … making sure we have accessible treatment programs, accessible early intervention programs … and more preventative measures." Professor D'Abbs said there needed to be a high degree of community leadership and buy-in to be effective. "These kinds of measures are most effective when you have a community-based coalition," he said. The Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation was contacted for comment. An application for a city-wide dry zone will be submitted to the Attorney General for consideration.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Public Accounts Committee returns, and is already making headlines
Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: The Public Accounts Committee returned on Thursday and already it was making headlines with revelations about former Children's Health Ireland boss Eilish Hardiman 's salary. PAC is apt at generating headlines with leaked opening statements and TDs eager to make their name a staple for the Dáil committee. A move towards fiscal caution as Fine Gael's Neale Richmond signals planned tax cuts may have to be abandoned unless a trade deal with the US can be agreed. Will one-off cost-of-living payments be absent from Budget 2026? The plan to introduce mandatory alcohol warning labels could be reconsidered amid the potential impact of US tariffs on the sector. And a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under 18s won't be a reality until the 'necessary evidence-gathering, research and examination of appropriate policy options and stakeholder engagement' is achieved. Plus, Minister for Housing James Browne backed out of meeting with Dublin Lord Mayor Emma Blain to discuss issues relating to the tenant-in-situ scheme. Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week: What can Dublin learn from San Francisco's regeneration ? Collapsing cottages , dereliction and land hoarding , and should people in Northern Ireland get to vote in Irish presidential elections ?
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- RNZ News
Booze delivery fuelling alcohol-related harm, public health experts warn
A new survey of the public has found most New Zealanders would support tightening up the rules. Photo: 123rf / Rushay Booysen @rushay Booze delivered to your door with just a few taps on your smartphone screen - it's convenient, quick, cheap, and also fuelling huge amounts of alcohol-related harm each year, according to public health experts. A new survey of the public has found most New Zealanders would support tightening up the rules. A separate international study released on Thursday ranked New Zealand last on alcohol control policies, especially when it comes to marketing and longer than average trading hours. Research (carried out by Talbot Mills for Health Coalition Aotearoa and the Cancer Society) found 81 percent of respondants throught online deliveries should have to follow the same checks as bars and stores. Co-chair of the Coalition's expert panel, Steve Randerson, told Nine to Noon online delivery services were flouting the rules, but the rules themselves were not fit for the digital age. "When it comes to that online delivery system, every phone is now a really sophisticated advertising platform and a bottle store," he said. New Zealand law does not require proof of age identification at the point of online purchase, or the delivery of alcohol. The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act states that so-called remote sellers - internet, phone, or mail order vendors - should take "reasonable steps" to verify age, such as requiring purchasers to tick an onscreen box confirming they are 18. Research published in the NZ Medical Journal last year found three-quarters of alcohol deliveries to Auckland homes were being handed over without checking IDs or simply left on the doorstep. Despite multiple recommendations over the years for a further overhaul of the Sale and Supply of Liquor Act, the law was lagging well behind the reality of alcohol marketing and retail. "It's evolved out of all sight. "Social media platforms are now using masses of our data to tune in to what we like, alcohol retailers are uploading their own data about their customers, and together these systems are teaching themselves to get better at engaging us." Not only were alcohol ads more "engaging" and better targeted, they often included a "buy now" option, he said. "So we're constantly getting nudged by alcohol advertising, which we know shapes how we drink, and with just a few taps you have can alcohol at your door within minutes." Randerson said online purchasing did not only make underage drinking possible, but also extended binge drinking sessions. "It's cheaper, it's higher volumes often, and if you're delivering that into the home it can contribute to some of the serious harms around alcohol, including self-harm and family violence." The survey also found widespread support for curbing sponsorship, advertising and trading hours, as well as raising prices.
