The tobacco industry and the liquor industry have a lot in common. They’re both legally entitled to sell a product which frequently kills the user – and sometimes kills innocent victims as well. Both industries are well aware of the damage done by their industries and both have fought vigorously to avoid taking any responsibility for the death and destruction their products cause.The industry is right to worry that alcohol's now having the same treatment applied to it was was previously applied to tobacco, egged on by the folks eeking out a parasitic existence on levies extracted from alcohol consumers.
...researchers recently gained access to confidential alcohol industry documents (9). These documents identify the top 10 concerns of the liquor industry, not one of which is about the harm caused to consumers by alcohol. Instead, these documents highlight the industry’s fear of being targeted by health reformers and controlled by government in the same way that the tobacco industry has been.
The liquor industry’s contempt for its customers which is displayed in these documents shows how much liquor and tobacco have common. There is no doubt – Big Booze needs to be treated like Big Tobacco. Hopefully, the publicity that Doug Sellman’s speaking tour and the Law Commission’s review will generate will be enough to turn the tide of public opinion.
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Article submitted by Roger Brooking, Alcohol and Drug Counsellor.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of the person who submitted the article and may not be the opinions or views held by ALAC.[Yeah, right]
It annoys me that I'm paying $0.017803 per litre of beer I purchase to help fund ALAC. I compensate for it by buying only expensive beer so that the percentage price I'm paying to ALAC is smaller. Last night's tipple: Pink Elephant's Golden Tusk. Tasty bitter.
"They’re both legally entitled to sell a product which frequently kills the user – and sometimes kills innocent victims as well."
ReplyDeleteWut? How many people die in car crashes over holiday weekends? Cars and bikes that travel at well over 100 and the manufacturers don't have to take responsibility for the way someone drives... yet tobacco and alcohol manufacturers, as well as dealers in illegal narcotics, are supposed to take responsibility for the actions of their customers?
Alcohol is responsible for what, 30% of road accidents? That means that 70% of road accidents are caused by sober fucknuggetry, and yet the targets are alcohol because you can apparently do something about drinking but you can't do anything about people being just plain morons.
I like your theory about expensive alcohol - maybe I'll use that on my wife to justify the $53 I spent on 2.75 litres of beer in the last week.
ReplyDeleteYou aregue that "The industry is right to worry that alcohol's now having the same treatment applied to it was was previously applied to tobacco." But you don't make a single point explaining why either industry should be concerned.
ReplyDeleteLegislation imposed on the sale of tobacco has led to reduced consumption and reduced costs to the health service - and saves hundreds of lives every year. If similar legislation was imposed on alcohol, more lives would be saved - and similar savings would be made.
You claim to be an economist. You should understand such simple equations.
Roger Brooking
Clinical Manager ADAC Ltd
@Roger: That's the funniest comment I've seen all year. Many thanks!
ReplyDelete