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Friday, March 2, 2007

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
NAT, current issue: 6/2006 Alcohol policy and the alcohol industry

Uncovering the way the alcohol beverage industry operates and examining its role in different contexts is of great importance – today perhaps more than ever before. This was an unanimous conclusion drawn by participants of a meeting held in April 2006 in Copenhagen by the Nordic Center for Alcohol and Drug Research (NAD) and the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) with financial support from the Norwegian Government. The meeting gathered persons involved in research, agenda setting and decision making in the field of public health, mainly in Europe, the US and Canada. The industry's marketing practices, its advantages from trade agreements, lessons from tobacco control and possibilities for pursuing legal action in Europe were some of the topics discussed. Typical situations were described in a handful of case studies from different countries.

This special issue of NAT is an attempt to discuss the alcohol industry's moves towards policy issues and the context for this activity. Different aspects of the alcohol industry's aspirations at being an alcohol policy stakeholder as any other are presented. The industry's actions are portrayed and discussed in a package of articles, overviews, comments and country reports. A special issue of Addiction with additional contributions will be published in the near future.



Contents


Editorial 387


Guest editorial
Robin Room Advancing industry interests in alcohol policy:
the double game_________________________________________________ 389


Research report
Peter Anderson & Ben Baumberg Stakeholders’ views of
alcohol policy __________________________________________________ 393


Overview
Wim E. van Dalen & Monique M.A.P. Kuunders Alcohol marketing
and young people: an analysis of the current debate on regulation____ 415


Country reports
Alicia Rodríguez-Martos A case study on alcohol policy and
the alcohol industry in Spain _____________________________________ 427


Norman Giesbrecht Alcohol policy in Canada: Reflections on
the role of the alcohol industry ___________________________________ 445


Ann Hope The influence of the alcohol industry on alcohol policy
in Ireland _ _____________________________________________________ 467


Marje Josing Estonian alcohol market and alcohol policy _ __________ 482


Colin Drummond & Sanjoo Chengappa Alcohol industry and
alcohol policy in the United Kingdom _____________________________ 487


Commentaries
Anders Ulstein ‘No ordinary partner’ _____________________________ 499


Kari Paaso The difference between Philip Morris and Diageo________ 511


Gabriel Romanus EU strategy on alcohol lobbied by the alcohol
industry – but the Council conclusions are better than
the Commission’s _______________________________________________ 513

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