40-Year Anniversary Series: As RHI celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023, this interview returns to the early 1980s as the nation and the world were focused on reducing impaired driving. In 1981, before forming RHI, Jim Peters wrote the first legislation establishing a statewide system for training managers, bartenders, and servers in responsible beverage service in Massachusetts. This bill was not enacted but served as a model for Oregon, the first state in the nation to establish requirements for training.
A key figure during this early period was Jim Mosher, who collaborated with Jim Peters on several research and policy initiatives. This interview brings back some of the early philosophies and approaches.
Among many federally funded research projects, Mosher oversaw was the development of a model Dram Shop law to protect alcohol-serving establishments demonstrating responsible business practices. Other research focused on evaluating the effectiveness of server training in reducing intoxication among patrons.
In this interview, Jim Peters reviews these pioneering initiatives and acknowledges Mosher’s contribution to RHI’s community-organizing approach to risk management.
Before his retirement, James F Mosher served in many senior positions, including Center Director, in alcohol policy research and advocacy at the Pacific Institute on Research and Evaluation’s Prevention Research Center. He led the formation of the Marin Institute (now Alcohol Justice) and supported programs developed during his tenure there. He later joined the CDM Group, Inc. as a Senior Policy Advisor. His four decades in the alcohol policy field earned the respect of researchers and advocates worldwide.
