Tijuana Alcohol Control Policies: A Response to Cross-Border High-Risk Drinking by Young Americans

Abstract

Several thousand young Americans visit the bars in Tijuana, Mexico, each weekend night, raising concerns on both sides of the border. Measures implemented in San Diego, California, and Tijuana have successfully reduced the number of American visitors to Mexican bars. Although San Diego policies have been well-documented, this is the first article on investigation of measures enacted south of the border. Information on Tijuana alcohol policies was obtained from a survey of 29-36 bars from 1997 to 1999. The Tijuana police provided data on Americans arrested in Tijuana from 1998 to 1999. Our study found alcohol regulations are poorly enforced in Tijuana, suggesting that regulatory agencies are captured by bar owners. However, such a capture may be weakening. The importance of identifying and supporting Mexican interest groups, as opposed to the bar owners, as a mechanism to impede the capture of Tijuana's regulatory agencies is discussed. The number of Americans involved in alcohol-related crimes in Tijuana sharply decreased over time. However, such a success is largely related to the success of the San Diego efforts in reducing the number of American visitors to Tijuana. Also, by demonstrating the racial/ethnic heterogeneity of American visitors to Tijuana bars, our study points out the need for prevention policies designed north of the border to take such heterogeneity into account.

Drunk in Public, Drunk in Private: The Relationship Between College Students, Drinking Environments and Alcohol Consumption

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A cybernetic approach to multi-agent system simulation in Tijuana-San Diego using the Viable Systems Model

“…The population of Tijuana-San Diego experience a broad range of social and health related problems, which have a major impact on both sides of the border [11][12][13][14]. There is a continuum of issues which cuts right across the political, regional, and social infrastructure, right down to the level of the individual, in a recursive manner.…”

Alcohol and Highway Safety: Special Report on Race/Ethnicity and Impaired Driving

“…Hispanics tend to be particularly at risk of drinking and driving near the border with Mexico (McKinnon, O'Rourke, Thompson, & Berumen, 2004). The minimum legal drinking age in Mexico is 18, and bars in Mexican border towns cater to American youth, who are encouraged to drink heavily by offers of low prices and tolerance of drunken behavior Lange, Lauer, & Voas, 1999;Romano et al, 2004, Kelley Baker, Johnson, Voas, & Lange, 2000. Research has revealed that, on weekend evenings, thousands of youth (20 and younger) and young adults (21 to 25) residing in communities along the U.S. border go to Mexico to patronize all-night bars .…”

“…[Latino] high school kids cross the border to go to bars." Because the negative effect of this weekend night drinking at Mexican bars spans across both young Latino and White border crossers, to be effective, strategies to deter heavy drinking by American visitors to Mexico should incorporate measures tailored to each of these groups (Romano et al, 2004).…”