Public Health South supports comprehensive changes to liquor laws including minimum pricing, raising the purchasing age to 20 years, stopping alcohol advertising in supermarkets and banning sales from dairies.
Its 21-page submission responding to the New Zealand Law Commission's issues paper on the reform of the liquor laws will be considered by the Otago and Southland district health boards' community and public health advisory committee tomorrow.
Its views echo recent calls from other public health advocates that emphasising individual responsibility without changing the environment is unlikely to succeed in changing drinking behaviour.
It says getting drunk is considered acceptable drinking behaviour among some groups, particularly youth, and this is contributing to the harm caused.
In Otago, students often drank hazardously and this was exacerbated by some events promoting excessive consumption, such as the Undie 500 and the Cook-a-thon.
The report included a graph of numbers visiting the Dunedin Hospital emergency department about the time of Orientation events over the past three years showing spikes in attendance, particularly on Saturday nights.
It also cited an unpublished 2008 Dunedin study which found tertiary students were more likely than other groups to have been drinking before an injury.
Research showed outlet density and extended hours had substantial influence on alcohol consumption and related problems.
The ease with which alcohol could be bought within the campus area could be a factor which led to "alcohol-fuelled" disorder.
The submission criticises the targeting of young people in alcohol companies' advertising. Ideally, there should be no advertising, but PHS recognised the economic impacts of that.
It would support much tighter controls, including restricting sponsorship linked to alcohol.
It advocates a return to 20 as the purchase age, but if this was not possible would support a split purchase age - 18 in licensed bars and restaurants and 20 in off-licences.
The introduction of a minimum price per unit of alcohol is also favoured by PHS, with prohibition of the at cost or below to stimulate other sales, and restrictions on discounting.
Stricter controls were required on pre-mixed sweet spirit-based drinks which were designed to appeal to young drinkers through taste, appearance and marketing.
Improved treatment services are also suggested.
Crisis management and detoxification services were two obvious areas in need of more funding.
The lack of detoxification services was a serious issue in the South Island.
Health education campaigns alone did not have much impact on behaviour and there needed to be a comprehensive approach towards improving knowledge regarding the long-term health effects.
The boards' policy requires that any public submission from its public health staff which goes beyond stating the pros and cons of an issue must receive board approval.
