A National Campaign for Alcohol Health Warning Signs

Letter of Introduction from the Alcohol Policies Project

 

Dear Colleague:

Thank you for expressing interest in our citizen's guide for alcohol health warning signs. We hope this guide will assist your efforts to enact laws that require point-of-purchase warning posters wherever alcoholic beverages are sold.

Some states and localities already have laws which mandate point-of-purchase signs. If your state currently requires warning posters, you may want to concentrate your advocacy efforts on improving compliance with existing law or increasing the effectiveness of the poster by updating the warning poster language or the "look" of the sign. Another approach would incorporate an alcohol warning on restaurant and bar menus; such warnings are now required by law in Rhode Island.

On the national level, current prospects for legislation to require health and safety messages in alcohol advertising are not promising. Therefore, local activity is the most promising way to counter the $2 billion of advertising and promotions that encompasses the majority of education about alcohol.

Here's how you can help:

  • Distribute copies of the enclosed brochure to your members. The brochure contains practical information on how to start and conduct a campaign; CSPI will provide additional advocacy resources upon request.
  • Announce this campaign in your newsletters or other communications.
  • Refer your organization's grassroots coordinators to CSPI so we can work with them on this campaign.
  • Inform us of warning sign activities that your organization and its members may be involved in.

In addition to the primary campaign literature, we have developed the following items to assist local campaign organizers: sample testimony before a legislative body, a sample op/ed piece, sample newsletter articles, and a question-and-answer sheet. For further information, please call me at (202) 332-9110, ext. 338. I look forward to hearing about your campaign plans.

Sincerely,

The Alcohol Policies Project

[ Primary Campaign Literature ] [ Sample Testimony ] [ Sample Op-ed ] [ Sample Newsletter Articles ]
[ Question and Answer Sheet ] [ Selected Research on Health Warning Signs ]

(1996)
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