Alcohol: From genes to policy to politics
Wednesday, 1 May, 7.30pm
C3 Lecture Theatre, University of Canterbury
Prof Doug Sellman
Professor of Psychiatry & Addiction Medicine
Director, National Addiction Centre, University of Otago, Christchurch
Consultant Psychiatrist, Youth Specialty Service, Canterbury District Health Board

Alcohol is New Zealand's favourite recreational drug enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of fellow citizens, yet causing an unacceptable degree of harm. This presentation will outline a shift that has occurred within the addiction treatment field over the past 30 years from thinking that genes could very well be the answer to prevention of problems to a focus on the environment, particularly the way the alcohol industry operates in a relatively unregulated consumer-based free-market economy. What are the policies that are most effective in reducing alcohol related harm? Has the government included these policies in the new Alcohol Reform Bill? Where to from here with alcohol law reform?

Doug Sellman, MBChB, PhD, FRANZCP, FAChAM, is a psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist. He has been working in the addiction treatment field in New Zealand for the last 28 years and been Director of the National Addiction Centre (NAC) since 1996. Two main interests in recent years have been evidence-based national advocacy for alcohol law reform, and research on food addiction and its role in recovery from obesity.

Bad Science, Bad Pharma - Dr Ben Goldacre: CANCELLED
We regret to advise that, due to a family illness, Ben Goldacre is unable to travel to New Zealand.
Ticket holders will be sent a refund.