1. Strengthen the understanding of sound, evidence-based public policy in preventing and reducing alcohol-related problems.
2. Advance rational alcohol policies, with an emphasis on offsetting the public costs of alcohol use, by illuminating and influencing policy-making processes at local, state, regional, national, and international levels.
3. Provide opportunities for networking and creative exchange of ideas among three key constituencies for alcohol policy: researchers, government officials, and community members.
4. Highlight innovations in alcohol policy change and assist in the dissemination and replication of these innovations.
5. Offer updates on key and breaking alcohol policy issues, including health effects of new products and marketing strategies, relevant developments in global trade negotiations, groundbreaking research documenting alcohol problems while linking to alcohol policy changes, and new tools and resources available to communities seeking to promote change.
6. Introduce and encourage those new to the alcohol policy field to leadership opportunities and resources, success stories and lessons learned from applying public health and public policy approaches to alcohol problems.
7. Consider the future of alcohol policy in the light of health care reform and other changes in the U.S. political and public health landscape.