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Enforcement

Public policies, laws, and regulations governing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug availability, promotion, and use rely on active enforcement for effective implementation. Enforcement may include surveillance of substance sales at retail outlets, issuing penalties and fines for violations, community policing of local ordinances, and providing incentives for upholding substance-related policies. While it remains unclear whether actual enforcement or simply the perceived threat of enforcement motivates individuals to comply with laws related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, research shows that as the likelihood of detection, arrest, and/or citation increases, so does compliance. Enforcement prevention strategies take many forms. Strategies focused on impaired driving include the use of sobriety checkpoints, revoking licenses of impaired drivers, impounding or immobilizing vehicles of impaired drivers, open container laws, and lower legal blood alcohol concentration laws (<.08). Enforcement efforts aimed at preventing underage drinking include compliance checks, shoulder tap operations, graduated license policies, teen party ordinances, and curfew ordinances. Enforcement policies focused on the prevention of use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are associated with increased reductions in substance use and related problems above and beyond simply the passage or existence of laws targeting these substances.