Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use: Maintaining Limits on Hours of Sale

Task Force Finding*

On the basis of suffıcient evidence of effectiveness, the Task Force recommends maintaining existing limits on the hours during which alcoholic beverages are sold at on-premises outlets as another strategy for preventing alcohol-related harms.

The studies in the review assessed the effectiveness of increasing hours of sale by either 2 or more hours or less than 2 hours in on-premises settings. Studies that examined increasing hours of sale by 2 or more hours found increases in vehicle crash injuries, emergency room admissions, and alcohol-related assault and injury. One study found a decrease in violent crime. Studies that assessed the effectiveness of increasing hours of sale by less than 2 hours showed inconsistent effects, suggesting that changes of less than 2 hours in the sale of alcohol in on-premise settings had no substantial effect on alcohol-related harms.

The Task Force found insuffıcient evidence to determine the effectiveness of increasing existing limits on hours of sale at off-premises outlets, because no studies were found that assessed such evidence.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations on maintaining limits on days and hours of sale of alcoholic beverages to prevent excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. [PDF - 116KB] Am J Prev Med 2010;39(6):605-6.

Review Completed: February 2009