Law Student Wins First Place in Center for Alcohol Policy Third Annual Essay Contest

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Center for Alcohol Policy (CAP) is pleased to announce that Neil Jamerson, a law student from the state of North Carolina, is the winner of its Third Annual Essay Contest.  Jamerson’s essay, “Higher Education and Public Health: Proper External Measures for Confronting Student Alcohol Abuse,” examines student drinking in the context of public health and recommends using state regulation to help universities confront student alcohol abuse.

“Considering the totality of the circumstances, state regulation is a better tool for preventing and ameliorating public health harms associated with college student alcohol abuse than tort,” Jamerson’s essay asserts. “Universities should seek state regulation to augment their internal efforts to control student alcohol abuse, and states are well-advised to consider additional regulation in order to ensure public welfare.”

Marshall Thompson, a law student at Brigham Young University, was named the second place winner in this year’s contest.  Adam Gershowitz, an associate law professor at the University of Houston Law Center finished in third place.

The winning entrants will receive prizes of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000 respectively.

The Essay Contest is intended to foster debate, analysis and examination of state alcohol regulation. The theme of this year’s contest was: “Describe how state-based regulation of alcoholic beverages promotes public health and safety.”  The CAP received a broad range of submissions that touched on legal challenges to state-based regulation, the impact of alcohol tax collection on public safety, international alcohol regulation and personal experience with alcohol regulation.

“State-based alcohol regulation is an important element of every community across the country,” said CAP Advisory Council member and Cumberland School of Law Professor Brannon Denning. “This year’s Essay Contest gave citizens from across our country, and beyond its shores, the opportunity to explore this idea and its implications for our nation’s public safety and health.”

To read the winning essays, please visit www.centerforalcoholpolicy.org/essay-contest. Details for the 2011 CAP Essay Contest will be posted soon.

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The Center for Alcohol Policy is a 501 c (3) organization whose mission is to educate policy makers, regulators and the public about alcohol, its uniqueness and regulation.  By conducting sound and scientific-based research and implementing initiatives that will maintain the appropriate state-based regulation of alcohol, the Center promotes safe and responsible consumption, fights underage drinking and drunk driving and informs key entities about the effects of alcohol consumption.  For more information, visit www.centerforalcoholpolicy.org.