A study led by Tim Stockwell at the University of Victoria in British Columbia found a strong correlation between an increase in private liquor stores and alcohol-related deaths, Reuters reported Jan. 31.
The study was conducted in British Columbia between 2003 and 2008, when the Canadian province's 89 health areas partially privatized alcohol sales and the number of private liquor outlets increased by 40 percent. Researchers looked for relationships between the number of alcohol-related deaths, the density of alcohol outlets, and the proportion that were privately owned.
The study, "Impact on alcohol-related mortality of a rapid rise in the density of private liquor outlets in British Columbia: a local area multi-level analysis," was published online in the journal Addiction on Jan. 18, 2011.
Source: JoinTogether: Study Links Private Alcohol Sales to More Deaths.
