Alcohol industry arguments for putting profit before health in the midst of a pandemic: The Western Australian experience.
Drug Alcohol Rev
; 40(2): 201-204, 2021 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1066652
ABSTRACT
In an effort to limit the impact of alcohol on the Western Australian (WA) health system during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the WA Government introduced temporary restrictions on takeaway alcohol purchases for several weeks in March and April 2020. In response, alcohol industry representatives encouraged the WA Government to remove the restrictions and replace them with a voluntary alcohol industry initiative. We looked at alcohol industry representatives' comments in media and online publications during this period. We found that the industry framed alcohol as an essential product, focused on the impact of the restrictions on WA businesses and framed the restrictions as complex and ineffective. The themes and arguments we identified are commonly used by the alcohol industry and are not unique to the pandemic. The alcohol industry's response to the COVID-19 restrictions in Australia provides a unique case study of how the alcohol industry attempts to interfere in public health policy.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Public Health
/
Commerce
/
Alcoholic Beverages
/
COVID-19
/
Health Policy
/
Industry
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
English
Journal:
Drug Alcohol Rev
Journal subject:
Substance-Related Disorders
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Dar.13147
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