Commercial determinants of health: Public health and the marketing and sales of alcohol, other drugs, and gambling

The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD) is the main multidisciplinary professional society in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand including professionals and researchers in the field of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, approached from a public health and welfare perspective.

APSAD’s 2024 one-day Symposium is concerned with the commercial determinants of health and the regulation of legal markets in the different commodities with which APSAD is concerned – alcohol, nicotine and other drugs and gambling. These commodities are all attractive, but on the other hand, the source of health and welfare problems, and so need to be controlled, limiting their marketing and sale in the interests of public health and welfare. Each commodity area has its own regulatory systems, and research and regulation can benefit from looking across the four areas.

The Symposium will thus consider issues in the marketing and availability of each area in turn: alcohol, gambling, cannabis, prescription medicines and tobacco/vaping. It will have a dedicated session exploring the role of technology in the regulation and research of these commodities, as well as a session on perspectives of Aboriginal peoples about the marketing and sale of these commodities. The final session of the day will be a panel on what can be learned across commodity areas for future research and regulation agendas.

Organisers:

Professor Robin Room

Distinguished Professor, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University

Robin Room is a sociologist who has previously directed alcohol and drug research centres in four countries. His main research interests are social, cultural and epidemiological studies of alcohol, with an interest also in drugs and gambling behaviour and problems, and in social responses to the problems, and the effects of policy changes.

Professor Paula O'Brien
Professor, Melbourne Law School

Paula O'Brien is a professor at Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne. She works in public and global health law, with a focus on commercial determinants especially alcohol.

Dan Anderson-Luxford
Research Officer, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University

Dr Cassandra Wright
NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research

Dr Cassandra Wright is an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. Her research focuses on alcohol as a public health issue and she currently works on evaluations of major alcohol policies and programs in the Northern Territory. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and Burnet Institute

Program Released

Symposium program — APSAD Melbourne Symposium Program

SPEAKERS
THE SALE AND MARKETING OF PROBLEMATIC COMMODITIES AND THEIR REGULATION: EMERGING ISSUES
Caterina Giorgi CEO, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education Caterina Giorgi is the CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), an Australian not for profit organisation working towards an Australia free from alcohol harm. Caterina is also a Founding Member of Women in Public Health, and a Director of For Purpose. She has an honours degree in Public Health and is passionate about health equity.	Ms Liz Barrett Research Officer, Drug Policy Modelling Program, UNSW Liz is a researcher at DPMP, UNSW interested in all things drugs policy including markets, regulation, and participation. She has undertaken research and analysis for the UNODC and for international and Australian governments on regulation of cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco. Liz is also passionate about the human rights of people who use drugs and currently facilitates a national working group in Australia that advocates for greater harm reduction in prisons.
Associate Professor Angela Rintoul Principal Research Fellow, Federation University Australia Angela is a Principal Research Fellow at Federation University with expertise in gambling harm reduction, health inequities and the commercial determinants of health. She is currently leading a grant from Suicide Prevention Australia to explore the relationship between gambling and suicide, to identify pathways for prevention. In 2019 she undertook at Churchill Fellowship to identify ways to improve gambling regulation in Australia.	Dr Cheneal Puljević ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame Dr Cheneal Puljević is an ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow at the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame at the School of Public Health. Cheneal is also a core research team member for the Global Drug Survey, an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Drug Policy, and the Queensland Research Lead for The Loop Australia.
Professor Samantha Thomas Professor of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University	Professor Wayne Hall Emeritus Professor, National Centre for Youth Substance Use, University of Queensland Wayne Hall is an Emeritus Professor at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research at the University of Queensland and the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences.

TECHNOLOGY, MARKETING & SALES: RESEARCH & REGULATION
Professor Emmanuel Kuntsche Director, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), La Trobe University Professor Emmanuel Kuntsche is an expert in alcohol-related cognition from early childhood into adolescence. Currently, he is investigating alcohol exposure in digital media with machine learning algorithms. He has received career awards and personal funding from major agencies in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the international Kettil Bruun Society.	Dr Navoda Liyana Pathirana Research Fellow Dr Navoda Liyana Pathirana is an Early career research fellow within the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) at the Institute of Health Transformations and Planet A research Lab at the Faculty of Science at Deakin University. Navoda completed her PhD in 2023 in Food System Sustainability from the University of Sydney and has a background in Food Science and nutrition. Navoda’s research is focused on interdisciplinary approaches for data-driven policy solutions for healthy and sustainable food systems.
Dr Benjamin Riordan Research Fellow, La Trobe Benjamin Riordan is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR). His research interests are broad, but predominantly he focuses on using emerging and new technologies to understand and intervene with young adults who use alcohol. At CAPR, he co-leads the research stream on alcohol, media, and emerging technology.	Professor Suzanne Nielsen Professor and Acting Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre Professor Suzanne Nielsen (BPharmSc[Hons] PhD MPS) is a registered pharmacist and Acting Director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Melbourne. Her research focuses on understanding prescription, over-the-counter and emerging drug-related problems, and identifying effective policy and practice interventions to reduce opioid-related harm.
Professor Kathryn Backholer Co-Director Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Deakin University Professor of Public Health Policy working globally to build the evidence to support the design, adoption and implementation of equitable population level public health policies for children and young people. Interested in multi-disciplinary solutions to complex public health problems.

FIRST NATIONS PERSPECTIVES: CONTROLLING COMMERCIAL DETERMINANTS
Dr Beau Cubillo Senior Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research Dr. Beau Cubillo a Larrakia and Wadjigan Aboriginal man from the Northern Territory and Senior Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. Dr Cubillo has expertise in Indigenous nutrition, health and wellbeing with particular interest in food systems and the importance for Indigenous agency and governance. Dr Cubillo is a current member of the Deakin University ACHIEVE study team investigating the Indigenous commercial determinants of health.	Alessandro Crocetti Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University, Institute for Health Transformation, Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) Alessandro recently submitted his PhD thesis at the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition at Deakin University, where his research focuses on the commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing. His work covers a range of different industries and commercial practices including political, marketing, and corporate social responsibility. His current work focuses on the digital alcohol marketing space.
Dr Jennifer Browne Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University, Institute for Health Transformation, Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition

FUTURE PRIORITIES FOR INTEGRATED RESEARCH & REGULATION OF MARKETING & SALES OF PROBLEMATIC COMMODITIES
Dr Charles Livingstone Associate Professor, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University The promotion and marketing of gambling is ubiquitous and unrelenting - not just in Australia, but globally. Addressing gambling advertising is an important aspect of harm prevention, but the gambling ecosystem is extensive and key to the way gambling is promoted.	Professor Rob Moodie Professor in Public Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
Professor Simone Pettigrew Program Director, The George Institute for Global Health Professor Simone Pettigrew works across numerous commercial determinants of health, including alcohol, vaping, tobacco, gambling, and unhealthy food.	Emma Pristov Coordinator, Commercial Determinants of Health, VicHealth Emma is the Coordinator of Commercial Determinants of Health at VicHealth. With a background in local government youth work and a Master’s in Public Policy, she brings strategic thinking and hands-on experience to her role. Emma has successfully supported key initiatives, including policy development and conference development, working with local governments and youth engagement. Her work is guided by accountability, compassion, and authenticity.