Alcohol is no ordinary commodity. It is a popular, legal and socially and culturally significant psychoactive drug. It is a contributing factor in more than 65 different medical conditions, ranging from injuries to long-term health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and a variety of mental illnesses. In 2002, alcohol-attributed illness accounted for approximately 1.6 million days of acute care in hospital, with costs totalling some $1.5 billion in acute care hospital days and $3.3 billion in direct health care costs to the Canadian economy. As such, reducing alcohol-related harms is one of the 13 priorities of the National Framework for Action to Reduce the Harms Associated with Alcohol and Other Drugs and Substances in Canada and an important focus for CCSA.

In 2004, CCSA and Health Canada co-hosted a National Thematic Workshop on Alcohol Policy, which produced consensus on a variety of recommendations and priorities. Subsequently, CCSA, Health Canada and the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission co-chaired an expert working group—the National Alcohol Strategy Working Group—which released its report, Reducing Alcohol-related Harm in Canada: Towards a Culture of Moderation (Recommendations for a National Alcohol Strategy), in 2007. This document sets out a comprehensive, collaborative strategy that provides direction and 41 recommendations to support the development of a culture of moderate alcohol use to reduce alcohol-related harm.  This work represents an important milestone among efforts to address problematic alcohol use in a more comprehensive and coordinated fashion at the national level in Canada.  Organizations from all regions, levels of government and sectors with an interest in alcohol policy in Canada, including the alcohol industry, were engaged in the process.

CCSA is working with its partners to facilitate the exchange of information and partners' uptake and implementation of the 41 recommendations, including the recommendation to coordinate knowledge exchange.