Media Advisory - Report on alcohol policy in Canada: How do the provinces stack up?

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Alcohol costs the Canadian economy $14.6 billion in indirect health care and social costs each year and is one of the leading contributors to disease and disability in the Americas. From pricing and retail availability to advertising and the legal drinking age, many factors affect the harms alcohol poses to a community.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), will host a symposium to release the results of "Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies," a national report aimed at improving alcohol policies.

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the research team collected and analyzed detailed information on 10 alcohol policy dimensions across 10 provinces. Each province was scored on the degree to which they have implemented precautionary alcohol policies. 

Speakers include:

Norman Giesbrecht				Senior Scientist, CAMH, Toronto
Nicole April				Médecin-conseil, Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Mark Asbridge				Associate Professor, Dalhousie University, Halifax
Andrew Murie				Chief Executive Officer, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Oakville
Tim Stockwell				Director, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., Victoria
Gerald Thomas				Policy Analyst, Gerald Thomas & Associates, Summerland, B.C.
Date:				Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Time:				1:30 p.m. -  3:30 p.m.
Location:				33 Russell Street,
				CAMH Meeting Centre, Room 2029
				Toronto

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field.  CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca.

SOURCE: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

For more information or to confirm attendance, please contact: Michael Torres; [phone]; [email protected].