The relationships among alcohol availability, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related damage in the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan 1955-1982.

This study examines the relationships among the relative price of alcohol, per capita alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality rates over a 28 year period in Ontario and Michigan. A high, positive association between per capita consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality was observed for both jurisdictions. In both areas, changes in the relative price of alcohol were inversely related to changes in consumption and cirrhosis mortality. Although causal inferences from these data must be made with caution, the results are strong enough to suggest that policy initiatives concerning the economic availability of alcohol should consider public health consequences.