Description
Alcohol home delivery restrictions prohibit or limit the ability of alcohol retailers to deliver alcoholic beverages to personal residences.
Objective(s)
To reduce commercial availability of alcohol to underage youth
Typical Elements
- Individuals/organizations with the expertise needed to build support for implementing home delivery restrictions if none exist (e.g., by using media advocacy tactics) or reviewing and proposing changes to existing policies as needed (Gabriel et al., 2008).
- Clearly defined delivery restrictions which can include (Gabriel et al., 2008; SAMHSA, 2012; University of Minnesota Alcohol Epidemiology Program, 2012):
- Requiring delivery staff to be at least 21 years old
- Restricting alcohol delivery to specific days of the week and times of the day
- Limiting the amount of alcohol that can be delivered
- Requiring delivery staff to check identification to verify that the buyer is at least 21 years old
- Requiring delivery staff to document the buyer’s contact information, time, date, place of delivery, and quantity and brand of alcohol sold
- Clearly defining (or modifying) the consequences for non-compliance, which can include fines or increased alcohol license fees for retailers found in violation of the policy/restrictions (University of Minnesota Alcohol Epidemiology Program, 2012).
- Agencies and personnel responsible for administering and enforcing the policy/restrictions. Enforcement strategies could include (University of Minnesota Alcohol Epidemiology Program, 2012):
- Having authorized personnel check the delivery invoices (i.e., documentation that delivery staff collect about purchases) two times per year
- Conducting “reverse stings” in which police cadets (younger than age 21) order alcohol and identify the delivery staff who do or do not comply with policy/restrictions
- Information about the policy/restrictions. Audiences/topics can include:
- Informing alcohol retailers about how policy requirements could impact their selling and serving practices
- Educating the general public about the policy’s existence, compliance requirements, and enforcement methods
Populations
Youth under age 21
Outcomes
No outcome data found for role of alcohol home delivery restrictions in preventing underage drinking and/or its consequences.
Guidelines
Policies to Reduce Commercial Access to Alcohol
Recognition
No recognition found for role of alcohol home delivery restrictions in preventing underage drinking and/or its consequences.
References
Gabriel, R., Becker, L., Leahy, S. K., Landy, A. L., Metzger, J., Orwin, R., . . . Stein-Seroussi, A. (2008, April 30). Assessing the fidelity of implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework in SPF SIG-funded communities: User’s guide and fidelity assessment rubrics (version 2).
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2012, November). 18. Home delivery. In Report to congress on the prevention and reduction of underage drinking (4.3.18). Retrieved from https://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/sites/default/files/imce/users/u1743/stop_act_rtc_2017.pdf
University of Minnesota Alcohol Epidemiology Program. (2012). Policies to reduce commercial access to alcohol. Retrieved from http://www.aep.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Commercial-Access-Policies.pdf
