Community Control of Alcohol and Drug Risk Environments: The California Experience

Abstract

This article describes California community (city, county) uses of local powers and resources to prevent alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems by managing AOD risk environments in retail, public, and social domains. The article presents a promising framework used in several counties dedicated to community environment approaches to prevention. A case example of its application is provided. The framework has developed locally since the mid 1980s through AOD prevention demonstration grant research, policy advocacy, and state support for local initiatives. Data for this article come from the author's experience observing and consulting with California cities and counties over 25 years.

Keywords:

• alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems
• local control
• community planning
• zoning
• three actor model
• environmental prevention
• California
• AOD risk environment
• retail alcohol outlets
• cities
• counties
• community AOD coalitions
• environmental accountability

Notes

²The term community has become something of a policy buzzword that has been attached to a diverse range of ideas and initiatives. It means various things to a range of individual and systemic stakeholders. “Shared geography,” as an often-regarded simplistic, common denominator, minimizes the range of other “sharing” options, which range from actual objects to beliefs, values, membership in, identification with, association with, from a micro- to a globalized macrolevel. One can categorize in very simplistic terms—for heuristics—three types of community intervention models to consider and to explore the “demands” and “implications” of community readiness and community awareness for planned intervention: (a) a professional network, (b) a community partnership, and (c) a grass-roots community initiative. Shiner et al. (2004) Exploring community responses to drugs. York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (www.jrf.org.uk). Editor's note.

³For example, Merced Campus-Community Alcohol Policy Working Group, an ad-hoc group from four jurisdictions (university, county, two cities) adopted this policy planning matrix in 2005. This framework supports long-range policy formation, adoption, and implementation to manage retail, public, and residential availability in a rapidly-growing area where a newly-opened University of California campus, expected to grow to 25,000 students during the next 20 years, accepted its first 1,000 students in 2005 (Wittman, 2005c).

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