According to the authors of a Community Guide systematic review, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that privatization of off-premises alcohol sale is associated with increases in alcohol consumption and other alcohol-related harms.
The Problem: Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many public health harms. Impaired driving is one of the largest contributors to motor vehicle crashes. Each year in the United States more than 10,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. In 2016, these crashes accounted for almost one-third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths. CDC: Impaired Driving Factsheet.
In this Critical Opportunities presentation, James Anderson, JD, from RAND Corporation, explains how city blocks that have some land parcels zoned for residential use experience substantially less crime than blocks that are zoned only for commercial or industrial uses. He suggests encouraging residential zoning in commercial areas as a way to reduce crime.
