Alcohol taxes save lives: Using tax policies to reduce alcohol-related harms

Excessive alcohol consumption kills more than 178,000 people in the United States every year, with additional costs to the U.S. economy reaching $249 billion according to reports from the CDC. The situation appears to be getting worse – deaths from alcohol grew by 29 percent in just five years, from 2016 to 2021. Studies show raising alcohol taxes will reduce drinking and related problems, among both youth and adults. Drawing on Dr. Jernigan’s extensive experience with alcohol tax campaigns both in the US and around the world, this webinar will describe the effects of alcohol tax increases on health and safety, and the elements of successful efforts to put them in place.

David Jernigan, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management and Assistant Dean for Practice at the Boston University School of Public Health. He has written and worked on alcohol policy for more than 35 years, at local, state, national and global levels. He has written more than 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed chapters to seven books on alcohol issues, as well as two chapters and a book on cannabis policy. He has also authored or co-authored pioneering works on alcohol, young people and health worldwide and in less-resourced countries, and on cannabis policy and public health.