Abstract
Illicit (unrecorded) alcohol is a critical global public health issue because it is produced without regulatory and market oversight with increased risk of safety, quality and adulteration issues. Undertaking iterative research to draw together academic, contemporary and historic evidence, this paper reviews one specific toxicological issue, methanol, in order to identify the policy mitigation strategies of interest. A typology of illicit alcohol products, including legal products, illegal products and surrogate products, is created. A policy landscape matrix is produced that synthesizes the drivers of illicit alcohol production, distribution, sale and consumption, policy measures and activity related signals in order to inform policy development. The matrix illustrates the interaction between capabilities, motivations and opportunities and factors such as access, culture, community norms and behavior, economic drivers and knowledge and information and gives insight into mitigation strategies against illicit alcohol sale and consumption, which may prove of value for policymakers in various parts of the world.
Highlights
Alcohol is consumed before, during and after meals; to celebrate birth and mourn death; to socialize and is used as a relaxant and as a deliriant [1]
There are three categories where illicit alcohol is produced, distributed, sold and consumed: legally produced products that can access an alternative or illicit market/supply chain; illegally produced products that can be sold in an alternative supply chain or can pass into a legal supply chain and third, surrogate products that are not produced for human consumption
It is worth noting that the production of illicit alcohol is often carried out in unhygienic and uncontrolled conditions, and contraband/smuggled alcohol products are beyond the safeguards of the official control of imported foodstuffs
Summary
Alcohol is consumed before, during and after meals; to celebrate birth and mourn death; to socialize and is used as a relaxant and as a deliriant [1]. Alcohol use is one of the important risk factors for non-communicable human disease [2,3]. The harmful use of alcohol results in around 2.5 million deaths a year, and alcohol consumption is the third-highest risk factor for disease and disability. In middle-income countries, alcohol is the biggest risk factor, often related to multiple social problems, including dependence [4]. A reduction in alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. There are some studies that indicate that moderate alcohol intake has a preventive effect on cardiovascular disease [5], but negative consequences of regular consumption of alcohol often exceed the benefits. Lacks nutrition value and may be a key cultural component in the human obesity dilemma [6,7], but the exact impact is unclear [8,9]
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