Alcohol Policy in low- and middle-income countries: Lessons from the research literature

This article describes the relevance of the book, Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity to policy development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Per-capita alcohol consumption is growing in the emerging economies of Asia and Africa, and it is already high in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the context of limited policy controls, this expansion has created a "perfect storm" driving increased alcohol consumption and harms. Along with the alcohol industry's opposition to evidence-based policy, these trends signal the need for the kinds of policy solutions proposed in the book. .