Premium
Can Policy Overcome Tradition? Assessing Russia's Ongoing Anti‐Alcohol Campaign
Author(s) -
Schrad Mark Lawrence
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world medical and health policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.326
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 1948-4682
DOI - 10.1002/wmh3.108
Subject(s) - soviet union , alcohol consumption , russian federation , public health , political science , consumption (sociology) , official statistics , economic growth , development economics , law , economic policy , economics , sociology , alcohol , politics , medicine , social science , biochemistry , chemistry , nursing , pathology
Even following the years of economic and demographic crisis of the 1990s, the Russian Federation still ranks among the hardest drinking countries on earth, with alarming consequences for public health. In 2009, then‐president Dmitry Medvedev initiated the most ambitious campaign against drunkenness since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Based on preliminary evidence from official and unofficial sources, this article attempts an early consideration of the effectiveness of Russia's new alcohol‐control policies. Alcohol‐related mortality statistics show continued improvement since the beginning of the campaign, while alcohol consumption statistics are more ambiguous, casting doubt as to the effectiveness of the policies begun in 2009.