Are There Differential Effects Of Price And Policy On College Students’ Drinking Intensity?

This paper investigates the impact of campus bans on alcohol use and the money price of alcohol on college students' drinking intensity. The impact of campus bans on drinking is found to depend upon the ability of students to substitute off-campus access to alcohol for on campus access. Where few off-campus alternatives exist, campus bans significantly reduce the odds that a student becomes a heavy drinker, but has no significant impact on the odds of transitioning from abstainer to drinker. Where off-campus alternatives are more plentiful, campus bans are less effective. Price is equally effective at reducing the odds of becoming a drinker and the odds of becoming a heavy drinker