Despite the social harm and problems associated
with alcohol use and abuse, underage drinking
and access to alcohol are often low-priority
issues among policymakers and public health
officials. Yet research shows that alcohol policies
and prevention programs can reduce access to
alcohol and thereby reduce alcohol-related harm.
Raising alcohol taxes or creating an alcohol levy is
particularly effective at reducing access to alcohol
by increasing its price and discouraging consumption
among young people, who tend to have more
limited budgets than adults. A review of 112 studies
on the consequences of alcohol tax increases
revealed that when taxes are increased, drinking
of commercially available, government-regulated
alcohol decreases among the general population
and among youth in particular.