In January, SooToday reported on the LCBO expanding its capacity to take online orders for alcohol. This new policy makes ordering drinks more convenient, especially amid COVID-19 restrictions, but also raises questions about responsible drinking and addiction.
Can Ontario’s ‘Amazon of booze’ model make it too easy to get drinks?
A spokesperson for the LCBO told SooToday that, “home delivery has been in place since July 2016 and has become more popular during the pandemic, offering a safer option for customers to shop at the LCBO without having to enter a store.”
German-based delivery platform Foodora had previously tested a partnership with the LCBO in the late 2010s in Ottawa and Toronto.
What products are available change from store to store, “based on logistical factors and supply availability,” says the LCBO spokesperson.
The ability to purchase alcohol online and delivery options are on the rise worldwide, with a spike after the pandemic hit.
A study from Massey University in New Zealand found direct facilitation of heavier drinking by online delivery.
Researchers surveyed about 2,000 New Zealanders (all above 18 years, in accordance with drinking age) during the first wave of the pandemic. Although supermarkets were the most common place to purchase alcohol, around 40 per cent of respondents reported having used online delivery.
“Respondents who used online alcohol delivery services during the pandemic restrictions had 75 per cent higher odds of being a heavy drinker… Purchasing from the supermarket was not associated with heavy drinking,” says the study.
Researchers found a slight positive correlation between stricter pandemic restrictions (Level 3, according to New Zealand law) and increased online sales.
The young people from the study were more likely to drink more heavily than older subjects. Likewise, participants who had lost their jobs because of the pandemic were 78 per cent more likely to engage in heavy drinking.
The report notes that there is insufficient policy to cope with possible harms of home delivery. For example, there is no limit on repeat delivery and there is evidence that most deliveries do not involve age checks.
This raises the question, are similar policy changes needed in Ontario?
The LCBO spokesperson said that “delivery partner’s employees are trained to check for ID, and will not deliver to someone who appears intoxicated.”
However, the problems associated with the pandemic, lockdown and unemployment transcend borders.
According to Allison McFarlane, a public health nurse at Algoma Public Health, “the online sale of alcohol is a relatively new concept.”
“Research has shown that the ease with which alcohol can be obtained (where, when and by whom) has an impact on levels of consumption, and leads to increases in harms to individuals and to society as a whole (e.g. chronic diseases, injuries, motor vehicle crashes, family and financial stress).”
She went on to say that “Algoma Public Health has been focusing on education, harm reduction and health promotion efforts by promoting the Low-Risk Alcohol Use Guidelines.” It is also “raising awareness of the health and social consequences of alcohol use.”
These guidelines encourage setting strict limits and planning “non-drinking days every week to avoid developing a habit.”
The ease of online delivery may discourage this kind of habit. At the same time, though, the guidelines also suggest drinking in a safe environment, which home delivery may facilitate.
Overall, the issue of online alcohol sales and delivery is relatively new and has little research on the topic.
For individuals struggling with addiction or other mental health conditions, SooToday published a list of resources that are just a call or click away.