Testing It Up

Several big name players in global alcohol policy gathered in Washington DC recently to talk about the legal drug and how best to regulate it to avoid exacerbating further problems related to alcohol abuse. 

Health risk factors, the global threat of alcohol abuse, alcohol pricing and ways to diminish the health risks of alcohol and its abuse were all on the agenda for the conference, which took place April 3 – 5. The conference featured many experts in the field of alcohol research and policy from around the world, allowing attendees to contrast and compare how different countries handle the constant threat of alcohol abuse.

For a summary of what happened at the conference, see my Twitter summary of the event.

After a home invasion in Chattanooga, Tennessee on December 15^th a 4 year old boy was found wandering drunk at 1:45 a.m.. Having stolen a dress and four other presents from a Christmas tree located inside a neighbors unlocked home and having ingested a bottle of beer the boy was wandering while his 21 year old mother was worried and unable to find him at home and fearing the worse had happened. The boy was discovered by neighbors near his home when he rang their doorbell. The small child’s stomach was pumped to remove the alcohol.

Hayden Wright, the son of April Wright told his mother he wanted to get in trouble so he could be with his father. His parents are going through a divorce and his father is in jail both likely causes for the boy’s behavior which is admittedly startling for a boy of his age. The beer came from his grandfathers cooler shortly after the boy managed to break a safety knob his mother used to keep the child safely indoors.  His mother will retain custody of the tiny troublemaker despite the severity of the yuletide incident and admits that the behavior of her small son is quite an embarrassment.

“Kids do things like this and it’s out of your control, you can do the best you can as a mother, everyone makes mistakes, it was an honest mistake.” she said.

In a bid to deal with violence related to alcohol in the UK a special unit of officers wearing “head cams” will be distributed throughout Northamptonshire’s nightlife areas to monitor such behavior. A new drug detection computer will also be used to test revelers queuing to get into some nightclubs.
These measures are all part of an attempt to reign in drunken troublemakers and pubs operating illegally in a week-long operation dubbed Operation Mortlake.

Trading Standards officials and officers are also conducting test purchase operations at bars, pubs, clubs, off-licences, supermarkets and convenience stores. Police will team up with paramedics to help provide fast response to incidents and firefighters are making sure bars and clubs have the proper safety measures in place to cope with packed rooms during the holidays.
“We want to send a clear message to the licensing community that any offences under the Licensing Act 2003 will not be tolerated. The head cams will help us to record important evidence and reassure the public. Drug testing will be a condition of entry at some of the larger premises. A sample is taken from the hands with a device and the computer can detect the levels of a substance present.”

An Audit Commission report identified alcohol as one of the county’s biggest social troubles.