Citation

Teret SP, Michaelis AP. J. Public Health Policy 2005; 26(2): 246-259.

Affiliation

Center for Law and the Public's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. steret@jhsph.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16022216

Abstract

Native American populations have long experienced excess morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol. Historically, alcohol was introduced to the Native American population by European settlers, and was used to help those settlers get land and goods from the Indian population. In modern times, alcohol beverage makers and distributors continue to supply and market their products to Native American populations in amounts and manners that contribute to continuing health and safety problems. When some other products have been over-supplied or over-promoted to the detriment of the public's health, litigation has been brought against the makers or dealers of those products, sometimes using the legal theory of public nuisance. This article explores the potential for litigation brought by Native Americans against alcoholic beverage makers and distributors.