Come, Learn, and Join With Experts from Around the Country Who Want to Share and Utilize the Best Policy Tools to Reduce Alcohol Problems
The American Council on Alcohol Problems is a national organization consisting of a federation of 37 state affiliates who promote strong alcohol control policies throughout the United States.
Its roots go all the way back to the days when it was originally known as the Anti-Saloon League (1893-1948), The Temperance League until 1950, the National Temperance League until 1964, and currently the American Council on Alcohol Problems (ACAP).
ACAP holds an annual convention which meets at some location in the home state of one of its affiliates. This year’s convention was scheduled for Michigan. However, due to a series of events, the convention location was changed to meet in Raleigh, North Carolina, September 19 – 21, 2011 at the Cardinal Club (150 Fayetteville Street).
Experts from around the country, as well as North Carolina, will gather at this convention with a common goal – curbing alcohol’s negative effects on the public’s health and dealing with the misery often caused by it.
Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake), North Carolina House Majority Leader, will bring the welcome on the opening day of lectures. Four very prominent ministers will share short devotionals at the beginning of each session. They include, K. Allen Blume, (editor of the newspaper of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina); Peter Milner, (Chaplain for the North Carolina Senate); Gregg Beaupied, (Capital Commission); Dr. David Hansley (President of the Christian Action League).
Information on Primary Speakers:
Mary Claire-O’Brien is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest Medical School. She has done extensive research on the link between alcopops and alcohol and energy drinks and its resulting emergency room consequences. She has spoken on this topic at numerous national conferences and published papers in academic journals.
Dylan Mulroney-Jones is the Policy Committee Chairman of the North Carolina Substance Abuse Prevention Providers Association. Mulroney Jones has diligently worked for more than five years on beer tax initiatives, privatization issues, local policy issues and other alcohol related topics. He works closely with communities across the state on grassroots strategy to prevent underage drinking and abusive drinking in North Carolina.
Retired Superior Court Judge Ron Bogle is an expert in the relationship between alcohol policy and all branches of law enforcement. He has addressed this area of concern in his presentation, “From the Cop on the Street to the Judge’s Seat” in more than a dozen states around the country. His focus is on helping agencies and communities better enforce underage drinking laws that are on the books.
Dr. Philip J. Cook is professor of public-policy and economics at Duke University and former director of the university’s Sanford Institute of Public Policy. Dr. Cook is author of “Paying the Tab.” Cook provides a thorough account of the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last twenty-five years of economic and public-health research, which demonstrates that higher alcohol excise taxes and other supply restrictions are effective and underutilized policy tools that can cut abuse. Cook argues that “alcohol is too cheap,” and it’s costing all of us.
Chairman Jon Williams is Chairman of the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission . Chairman Williams previously served as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. He joined the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety in 1999 and served as General Counsel, Legislative Liaison and as Assistant Secretary for Administration. He was in the private practice of law in Goldsboro from 1990 to 1999 and was active in a wide variety of community activities. As Chairman of the NCABC, Williams oversees the enforcement of North Carolina’s Alcoholic Beverage Control laws.
Rev. Mark H. Creech is executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina. The Christian Action League has been addressing alcohol policy since its birth as early as the 1930s. Rev. Creech is a well-known and a respected advocate for strong alcohol control measures. He also currently serves as President-Elect of the American Council on Alcohol Problems. He has served strategically on this national organization’s Resolutions Committee for four years. Creech is also considered an expert on the subject of the privatization of liquor sales.
Religious Panel – Millions of Americans are quiet abstainers from alcoholic beverages. People abstain for a variety of reasons. Many abstain for religious reasons. Certain religious denominations either ban alcohol outright or frown on its use. These groups include Baptists, Mormons, Pentecostals, as well as Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. The Convention program will feature a panel from each of these faith traditions who will briefly share the reasons they encourage their followers not to drink. After their presentations, the floor will be open for questions.
Registration: Registration fees for the annual meeting for people outside of North Carolina are $150.00 per person. Please contact Cheryl Corley at ccorley@alcap.com or 205-989-8177 to book your room or for any additional information. Click on the following link to find fun things to do in Raleigh: http://www.visitraleigh.com/visitors/things_to_do/. Click here for a copy of the registration form: Registration Form. Please mail the form and registration fee to: 2376 Lakeside Drive, Birmingham, AL 35244. If you are from North Carolina, registration is free and can be taken care of at the door.