RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Mechanisms of Alcohol Control
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
DO 10.3368/jhr.51.2.0314-6240R
A1 Carpenter, Christopher S.
A1 Dobkin, Carlos
A1 Warman, Casey
YR 2015
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2015/11/20/jhr.51.2.0314-6240R.abstract
AB A substantial economics literature documents that tighter alcohol controls reduce alcohol-related harms, but far less is known about mechanisms. We use the universe of Canadian mortality records to document that Canada’s Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) significantly reduces mortality rates of young men but has much smaller effects on women. Using drinking data that are far more detailed than in prior work, we document that the MLDA substantially reduces ‘extreme’ drinking among men but not women. Our results suggest that alcohol control efforts targeting young adults should focus on reducing extreme drinking behavior.