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Alcohol controls in the aftermath of the COVID ‐19 pandemic in India: Commentary on Stockwell et al .
Author(s) -
Mahadevan Jayant,
Shukla Lekhansh,
Benegal Vivek
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.13158
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , alcohol , control (management) , public health , business , political science , development economics , environmental health , medicine , economics , virology , management , disease , nursing , biochemistry , pathology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , chemistry
The COVID‐19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions have resulted in additional challenges for persons with alcohol use disorders as well as for the effective operation of alcohol controls in different societies. The challenges are different in different systems and economies. Crises such as these often provide governments with opportunities to remake systems. We use the recent experience from India, which rapidly shifted between total countrywide prohibition of alcohol and unrestricted sales during this brief period, to argue against using the present crisis to bring about quick changes in alcohol policy in India. Instead, we advocate sustained, incremental pressure to develop and enforce alcohol control measures in public health delivery systems, in addition to demand reduction measures.