About Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS)

The alcohol-related topics covered by APIS are drawn from the Alcohol Policy Taxonomy. Thirty-five specific policies falling under the following policy topic areas have been researched and are currently posted in the APIS Policy Topics section of the APIS website:

• Alcoholic Beverage Control
• Taxation and Pricing
• Transportation, Crime and Public Safety
• Health Care Services and Financing
• Alcohol and Pregnancy

The cannabis-related topics covered by APIS are drawn from the Cannabis Policy Taxonomy. Twenty-one specific variables falling under the following policy topic areas have been researched and are currently posted in the APIS Policy Topics section of the APIS website:

• Cannabis Product Control
• Taxation, Fees and Pricing
• Advertising, Marketing and Mass Media
• Transportation, Crime and Public Safety

• APIS provides information on alcohol and cannabis-related policies in several formats and at several levels of detail:
  • APIS Policy Topics
    This section of the APIS website provides the following information on each policy topic: a brief narrative description; a list of definitions (if necessary); a summary of relevant Federal law (if any); tables comparing policies on that topic across jurisdictions (as of a particular date and/or over a period of time specified by the user); a brief explanation of variables used in creating these tables; notes explaining the limitations of the information provided; charts and maps; relevant statutory and regulatory citations; and references to selected Federal publications.  All tables may be downloaded in a format suitable for many spreadsheet and statistical programs.
  • Additional APIS Resources
    This section of the APIS website provides numerous supplemental materials and resources useful to researchers and others interested in alcohol and cannabis policy.

The material on the APIS website is not intended as legal advice and is not a substitute for the services of a practicing attorney. Those in need of information about the application of law to their circumstances are encouraged to consult a qualified attorney.

This website is updated from time to time to add new material, enhance functionality, and clarify or correct information already available on the site. A list of changes is available on the Change Log page.

Acknowledgements

APIS has been developed by The CDM Group, Inc., under contract to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Contract No. HHSN275201800002C). The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation is a major subcontractor. The following individuals are responsible for directing the development of APIS.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• Gregory Bloss, M.A.
  Contracting Officer's Representative
• Mike Hilton, Ph.D.
  Former Contracting Officer's Representative

The CDM Group, Inc.

• Kathryn Herron-Venancio
  Executive Project Director
• Jonathan Schuler, J.D.
  Project Director

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

• Sue Thomas, Ph. D.
  Senior Research Scientist; Director, PIRE-Santa Cruz

APIS has built on and benefited from work initiated by the University of Minnesota's Alcohol Epidemiology Program, under the direction of Prof. Alexander C. Wagenaar, with funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). APIS has also benefited from the contributions of many other individuals, including James Mosher, J.D., Michael Klitzner, Ph.D., and staff members at NIAAA, The CDM Group, Inc., Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, UrbanPlanet, LLC, and Informatics Studio, Inc., as well as many expert consultants with academic or other research affiliations.