Case study: alcohol

and tobacco
 Background: tobacco
• Alcohol and tobacco raise similar
ethical issues, both legal, addictive
harmful to users and others
• In 2005, 25% of men and 23% of
women were smokers in UK
• In 2003, two thirds of children were
exposed to smoke in the home
• Smoking associated with 1 in 6 of
all deaths between 1998 and 2002
• Smoking ban: welcomed
 Background: alcohol
• Alcohol-related deaths have
doubled from 4000 in 1991 to
8000 in 2005
• 8.2m people had ‘alcohol use
• disorder’ in 2004
Alcohol causes high
level of harm to
others: drink driving,
accidents, violence
• Yet legislation on
drinking has not been
introduced as it has
for smoking
 Role of Government
• Government’s alcohol strategy
has focused on education
campaigns and voluntary labelling
• WHO-sponsored report found
other measures to be more
effective
• Conclusions
– Government should introduce
more stringent measures to
tackle drinking e.g. increasing
tax, restricting hours of sale
– Analysis of longer opening hours
needed
 Costs to the NHS
• Should smoking or drinking affect
access to NHS treatment?
• Alcohol consumption currently
affects access to liver transplant
• Conclusions
– No ‘victim blaming’
– Appeals to change behaviour
could be justified if help offered
– Government should encourage
employers offer help to change
behaviour
 Role of industry
• Tobacco companies operate in
countries with less stringent laws
• Conclusion:
– Policies for greatest consumer
protection should be adopted
worldwide
• Industry lobbying to legalise
‘snus’ - smokeless tobacco
• Conclusion:
– Not convinced allowing snus
would be helpful
Protecting children
• Adverse effects of drinking and
smoking on children is concerning
• Conclusions:
– Banning smoking in the home
would be very difficult to enforce
– Intervention might be acceptable if
child at very high risk of harm
– Alcohol and tobacco industries
should take more responsibility for
preventing harm to child health