Rebecca L. Reynolds-Ramirez, MPH¹, Bridget Freisthler, PhD², and James F. Mosher, JD¹. (1) Center for the Study of Law and Enforcement Policy, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705, 301-755-2761, rramirez@pire.org, (2) Prevention Research Center, 1995 University Ave, Suite 450, Berkeley, CA 94704

This presentation will describe efforts by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to prevent the over-consumption of alcohol through the pro-active enforcement of drink special laws. The presentation will begin with an overview of the research demonstrating the link between the over-consumption of alcohol in licensed establishments and alcohol-related problems. It will then review laws from all 50 states and the District of Columbia that encompass prohibitions on service of alcohol to intoxicated persons and restrictions regarding drink special and happy hour laws. The main focus of the presentation will describe a study, supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, conducted by PIRE and the TABC to evaluate the effectiveness of increased enforcement actions on compliance rates with drink special laws. In this study, TABC agents regularly performed undercover operations in two counties to determine whether or not increased enforcement of drink special laws resulted in higher levels of compliance. Preliminary analyses show that in City #1, 17% of outlets received at least one citation during pre-test while 0% received a citation at post-test. In City #2, 33% of the outlets received a citation at pre-test compared to only 15% at post-test, a 54% reduction in the number of outlets receiving citations for violating laws related to drink specials. Recommendations will be made regarding additional research needed to evaluate the effectiveness of enforcement-related interventions, and policy recommendations will be suggested for states and communities that wish to implement similar programs.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of drink special and happy hour policies in promoting or restricting the over-consumption of alcohol in licensed establishments.
• Assess the role of law enforcement agencies in preventing alcohol-related problems through the pro-active enforcement of laws prohibiting drink specials.
• Review the results of a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of pro-active enforcement of drink special laws in increasing compliance rates.

Keywords: Alcohol Use, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.