Alcohol Justice

Alcohol Justice
Abbreviation	AJ
Motto	The Industry Watchdog
Formation	1987
Type	Non-profit 501(c)(3)
Purpose/focus	Public Health Advocacy and Policy
Location	San Rafael, CA
Region served	United States
Exec. Dir./CEO	Bruce Lee Livingston
Staff	10
Website	alcoholjustice.org

Alcohol Justice (formerly The Marin Institute and The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems) is an organization which describes itself as "the industry watchdog."

Until 2006, Alcohol Justice focused on alcohol harms and environmental prevention strategies. These strategies included reducing the hours during which time alcohol can be sold, increasing the size of warning labels on alcoholic beverage containers, requiring warnings on all alcohol advertisements, restricting the content and placement of alcohol ads, and prohibiting alcohol sponsorship of athletic events. Recently, its focus has shifted to corporations who produce, distribute, retail and advertise alcoholic beverages.

History

Alcohol Justice was established in 1987 as one of three Major Projects funded by the Leonard and Beryl H. Buck Trust at the same time the Marin Community Foundation was formed. The Marin Institute reported in 2006 that "countering the alcohol industry has always been a high priority for the Marin Institute, but we now want to make it the central focus of our efforts. That means we'll put 100% of our energy into stopping the alcohol industry from harming public health."

In July 2011, the Marin Institute changed it name to Alcohol Justice to better align the organization's name with the national reach of its network.

Campaigns and Programs

Alcohol Justice, although based in San Rafael, California, plays a research and advocacy role in other cities and counties of California, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, and has led numerous campaigns for legislation and regulatory reform in Sacramento, California. Nonetheless, it is a national organization that has conducted national and international research projects, conducted hundreds of trainings of youth, community leaders and public helath advocates throughout the United States, and participated in international activities as well in Canada, Europe, Africa and Thailand.

Alcohol Taxes and Fees: Charge for Harm

The Marin Institute participated in a flurry of alcohol tax increase campaigns in the early 1990s, which resulted in small increases in beer excise taxes in California at the U.S. federal level in 1991 and 1992. From December 2006 to November 2010, The Marin Institute convened and organized a California coalition to promote proposals for nickel or dime a drink excise taxes or mitigation fees. The campaign was called the "Charge for Harm Coalition" which support various bills in Sacramento and the San Francisco "Charge for Harm" fee ultimately vetoed by wine-distributorship owning Mayor Gavin Newsom in September 2010. Ultimately the California campaign ground to a halt in November 2010 with the passage of Proposition 26 with 51.4% of the vote, supported by the Wine Institute, the California Chamber of Commerce, Chevron, and collectively oil, tobacco, and alcohol corporations. Proposition 26 now requires in California a 2/3 vote of both legislative houses to pass impact or mitigation fees to charge industries for the harm caused by production or consumption, and requires a 2/3 vote of the electorate to pass such fees at the municipal or county level. (citations needed)

External links

• Alcohol Justice home page
• Free The Bowl Contest website
• "California boosts tax on 'alcopops'", USAToday, August 14, 2007
• "Alcohol makers on tricky path in marketing to college crowd", USAToday, November 16, 2005