Illicit alcohol consumption
An American report has suggested that the consumption of illicit alcohol, which can contribute to disease, is rampant in many countries around the world. The Non-commercial Alcohol in Three Regions report was published by the International Center for Alcohol Policies in Washington DC.
The three regions specified in the report are sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia and central and eastern Europe. Within these regions, the report specifically states that in Europe, unrecorded or non-commercial alcohol consumption exceeds recorded alcohol consumption (10.5 litres against 6.09 litres per capita consumption respectively) in the Ukraine and non-commercial alcohol accounts for 43% of official alcohol sales in Belarus.
Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, illicit alcohol sales have a 77% share of the market compared to the legal alcohol share of 22%, while in Africa, unrecorded alcohol consumption exceeds recorded alcohol consumption in many countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
The report defines non-commercial alcohol as traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited local trade and counterfeit or unregistered products.
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President of the Centre, Marcus Grant said: “The extensive use of non-commercial alcohol around the world has detrimental and far-reaching effects on consumers, governments and the industry."
Jane Parkinson 19/11/08
