Farrell warns of the health implications of the unwelcome partnership between the alcohol industry and the health sector.1 Brazil has one million selling points for alcohol in a population of 180 million. These points can sell alcohol at any time of day, to anybody, including minors. We have a very aggressive advertising strategy on television that reaches millions of children. In recent research on a random sample of drivers, 30% of them had alcohol in their blood. Brazil is by any account an unregulated market for alcohol, and the alcohol industry is trying to keep it that way. This lack of regulation contributes to the 10% increase in consumption each year.
If that were not enough, the alcohol industry has approached health professionals to advocate a harm reduction approach as the best policy for tackling this problem in Brazil.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Farrell M. The alcohol industry: taking on the public health critics. BMJ 2007;335:671 (29 September.) [Google Scholar]