Member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have recently called for the development of a global strategy to combat the harmful use of alcohol. WHO is currently running a web-based public hearing to gather views on ways to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.

Dr Han Tieru, the WHO representative for Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, has been reported saying that his organisation is working closely with our health ministry to develop a national strategy and programme in prevention and control of the problem in Malaysia.

In view of the grave significance of the harm caused by alcohol, and some of the very similar approaches that both alcohol companies and tobacco companies take in promoting their respective products, the problem should be addressed with at least the same level of seriousness that is being adopted in the fight against tobacco use worldwide.

Tobacco is reported to cause about five million deaths a year. The WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was the first global public health treaty which was created to address the increasing harm caused by tobacco – not only to the users themselves but those who were affected by passive or ‘second-hand’ smoke, the costs and loss due to tobacco- related diseases, and the effects on families.

This Convention was adopted by World Health Assembly in May 2003 and came into force in February 2005.

Alcohol should also be viewed as a serious public health hazard requiring a global treaty. More than two million people around the world die each year from alcohol-related causes. The harmful use of alcohol is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability globally. Just like tobacco, alcohol use not only affects drinkers but also can have adverse effects on those around them

For instance in Europe, it is reported that the perpetrators of half of all violent crimes had been drinking. This was based on a survey in 2006 by Peter Anderson, a consultant for the European Commission and the WHO. Also, the survey found that 40% of domestic violence cases and 40% of murders were committed by people who had been drinking.

Not including drunk drivers themselves, it is reported that there are 10,000 alcohol-related deaths per year in Europe. Alcohol was found to be responsible for 16% of child abuse and neglect cases, and five to nine million European children live in families adversely affected by alcohol.

Here in Malaysia, the Road Safety Council once estimated that 30 percent of road accidents nationwide are caused by drinking and driving. There is the likelihood of under-reporting as drivers are allowed 24 hours within which to report a crash.

The consumption of alcohol has also been linked with adverse outcomes which can devastate whole families, including violence, child abuse, killings, broken homes where either the spouse or the children leave home, and divorces.

According to a Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) survey a few years’ back, ethnic Chinese and Indian respondents listed ‘influence of alcohol’ as the leading reason for wife battery, while across all ethnic groups ‘influence of alcohol’ ranked second.

The drinkers themselves face unemployment and chronic illness, which again affects the family. A large percentage of the family income can be squandered on alcohol, leaving the family in a dismal financial state.

Drinking can also cost a nation dearly in terms of monetary losses for medical treatment, absenteeism from work, accidents, diminished job skills, the salaries required for additional police personnel and social workers, costs to cover court cases, damage to public property and vehicles, as well as insurance payments.

CAP calls on our Government to advocate WHO and member states for a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control (FCAC). This convention should lead to a clampdown on:

· aggressive advertising,

· various promotions that encourage increased consumption including contests, redemption schemes and ‘happy hour’ offers,

· the sponsorship of sports events and variety shows,

· the use of women to promote products directly to customers,

· the small bottles or packs of alcohol that make it more easily available to the younger generation and low-income earners (including samsu and the attractively-packaged alcoholic ‘soft drinks’),

· the serving of alcohol on national airline carriers and

· the duty-free status of alcohol at airports and other duty-free outlets.

A global endeavour should also see increased taxes; a licensing system that would control availability, accessibility and use in residential areas, family eating places and recreational areas; and the setting of a minimum age limit for the purchase and use of alcohol where, preferably, those under 21 years of age would not be allowed to purchase or consume alcohol.

A formal national policy and effective legislation and enforcement would back up alcohol control measures. Overall, there should be a more concerted effort to address the underlying problems that drive people to drink such as poverty and deplorable living and working conditions.

The measures for curbing alcohol-related harm would bear many similarities with those used for tobacco. There would be no need to ‘re-invent the wheel’.

Precious time would be saved and immediate focus can be turned towards reducing the number of alcohol-related deaths, the global burden of disease and the related adverse social and economic impacts.

The writer is president, Consumers Association of Penang.