Effective control of the supply of alcohol in American Indian and Alaska Native communities can have a dramatic and immediate impact on alcohol-related consequences (Chiu et al., 1997).

The most compelling research here arises from a natural experiment that directly observed changes in alcohol-related consequences that coincided with changes in policies affecting the availability of alcohol. As Chiu and colleagues report, over a 33-month period Barrow, Alaska banned the possession and transportation of alcohol twice, with substantial decreases in alcohol-related outpatient visits at the time of both bans, and a significant increase in these visits during the interim period when the community returned to legalized possession and transportation (Chiu et al., 1997).