The price of Happy Hour

Did the introduction of happy hours in BC make it cheaper to drink alcohol in bars, pubs and clubs?

It sounds like a question with an obvious answer—and the short answer is yes—but when BC introduced a package of new liquor laws in 2014, which included minimum alcohol pricing for licensed premises, there was widespread speculation that the price of alcohol in BC was about to get a lot higher.

A study by University of Victoria psychology undergrad Casey Sharpe and supervised by Tim Stockwell, director of the Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC), surveyed 23 bars, clubs and pubs in downtown Victoria that had introduced happy hours since June 2014.

The study’s key finding shows that while most of the 197 happy hour drink specials that were recorded complied with the three-dollar minimum, happy hour prices were on average 35 cents cheaper per standard drink (the amount of alcohol in a 341 mL bottle of 5 per cent beer or a glass of 12 per cent wine) than pre-existing daily drink specials.

Most of the venues kept their pre-existing daily drink specials and introduced happy hours alongside them, so there were even more options for cheaper alcohol.

The study also found that many of the cheaper happy hour specials were for strong beer. When adjustments were made to look at prices by volume of alcohol per drink, 15 specials fell below minimum—contrary to a recommendation put forward by CARBC in 2009 and endorsed by the Provincial Health Officer.

Studies have shown that cheaper alcohol can have significant social impacts. Research from the US reveals that happy hour drinkers are more likely to become intoxicated. Recent CARBC research shows that a 10 per cent increase in minimum alcohol prices at liquor stores was linked with a 9.17 per cent reduction in crimes against people, a 19 per cent reduction in alcohol-related traffic violations and a 9.39 per cent reduction in total crime rates.

Data from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch shows that per capita alcohol consumption in BC during the 2014/15 fiscal year—the first since the relaxation of provincial liquor laws, including the introduction of happy hours—had its biggest jump in over a decade. British Columbians aged 15 and over drank an average of nearly nine litres of pure alcohol in 2014/15, the equivalent of 528 bottles of 5 per cent beer or 100 bottles of 12 per cent wine.

CARBC study: The introduction of Happy Hours to bars, pubs and clubs in Victoria, BC: Did alcohol become cheaper? http://bit.ly/carbchh

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