No evidence of harm reduction

Radio NZ reports:

The government has decided not to increase a problem gambling tax on the industry following a critical report from the Gambling Commission.

The independent regulator says there’s no evidence from the Ministry of Health the money from the levy is actually reducing gambling harm.

It’s the second time the commission has asked the ministry to front up with evidence of the effectiveness of the programme.

The Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said it was concerning it had taken the ministry so long to show its strategy was working.

This is both alarming and not surprising.

We often see this in the public health space. For example we often hear people advocate for taxes on fizzy drinks, but not once have I seen evidence that they reduce obesity rates (as opposed to just decreasing consumption of a particular product).

The idea that a warning label on a bottle of wine that you should not drink while pregnant would actually reduce foetal alcohol syndrome is laughable.

But if you do fund or mandate harm reduction measures or programmes, then you should measure the actual impact on the harm you are trying to reduce.