“KEEP THE BAN” ON ALCOHOL ADS ON DC METRO TRANSIT
The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors will vote on whether
to lift its longstanding ban on alcohol ads on DC Metro trains, buses and in stations.
COMMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY NOON EST, WEDNESDAY, November 18th
Please submit online comments to the Board at:
THE PROPOSED CHANGE
- While ignoring a growing body of research pointing to the public health and safety impact of both underage and excessive drinking, the WMATA Board of Directors is set to vote on lifting a decades-long ban of alcohol advertising, collecting revenue while shifting the burden of cost to taxpayersand exposing countless young people to excessivealcohol advertising.
- The proposed change has only very recently been available to the public, allowing minimal opportunity to gather much needed current research and expert input. WMATA’s Advertising and Retail Policy Review is dated just days ago (11/5/15), and it states “alcohol advertising is a polarizing topic,” reporting fewer than half of poll respondents supporting such a move.
THE ECONOMICS
- The proposed change is an attempt to increase revenue for the transit system, even though advertising revenue makes up less than one percent (1%) of the WMATA’s annual operating revenues.
- The ads are projected to bring in an additional $5 million in revenue through FY22. By contrast, excessive drinking costU.S. taxpayers $249 billion in 2010 alone. The District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia together suffer $12 billion in public costs annuallyfrom excessive consumption.
- Washington, DC had the highest cost per person for excessive drinking ($1526 compared to $807 national average). The cost to DC’s government for excessive drinking was $327 million annually.
- Over $100 billion annually, or two of every five dollars of costs associated with excessive drinking, according to the CDC,were paid by governments.
THE RESEARCH
- The more alcohol ads children and youth see, the more likely they are to drink, to start drinking at an earlier age, and to have alcohol-related health issues in their lifetimes, according to the World Health Organization’s 2014 Global Status Report.
- Brand-specific alcohol advertising is a “significant predictor of underage youth alcohol brand consumption” as determined by a recent study from Boston University’s School of Public Health.
- The WMATA provides free transportation to thousands of D.C. public and charter school students through their Kids Ride Free on Rail program. Selling alcohol advertising on the Metro system is effectivelyoffering up youth as a captive audience to alcohol marketers.
KEEP THE BAN: A DECISION FOR A HEALTHIER, SAFER COMMUNITY
- PROTECT OUR YOUTH. Restricting alcohol advertising on public property, including public transit, is a policy that reduces underage exposure to alcohol advertising. Continuing the current ban on alcohol ads on WMATA property will prevent repetitive, unavoidable, excessive youth exposure to alcohol ads.
- DON’T SHIFT THE COST BURDEN TO TAXPAYERS. The public money spent by any metropolitan area to mitigate alcohol-related harm (e.g. medical, hospital, and emergency services; law enforcement; legal services; rehabilitation, treatment, and prevention services), far outweighs any potential revenue from alcohol advertising. One transit agency generates meager revenues on such ads while a city, county or region suffers $10s of millions in alcohol-related cost each year, if not $100s of millions/billions in cost.
- SEVENTEEN (17) OTHER MAJOR METRO AREAS BAN ALCOHOL ADS ON PUBLIC TRANSIT. The 17 other areas ban them by law, governing policies or contract requirements. In the last 10 years, the San Francisco Bay Area ,the City of Los Angeles, and Bostonbanned alcohol ads on public transit for public health/safety reasons, and to protect youth and persons in recovery from exposure.
ACTION NEEDED: Tell the WMATA to “KEEP THE BAN.”
Submit comments by noon EST on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 to
Alcohol Justice ~ alcoholjustice.org US Alcohol Policy Alliance ~