Ep 3: The Commercial Determinants of Health With Christopher Snowdown

Why are there so many anti-alcohol stories appearing in the media? One of the harshest critics of the anti-alcohol movement is Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the free market think tank Institute of Economic Affairs in the UK. In this wide-ranging discussion, we delve into the anti-alcohol movement, exploring its implications on personal freedoms and public health. Topics covered include: The history of the modern anti-alcohol movement and how it rose from the ashes of Prohibition; The system of grants that sustains it; The Total Consumption Model of alcohol, which suggests that the only way to help heavy drinkers is to get everybody to stop drinking; The “commercial determinants of health” and why governments like the idea; and Why alcohol policies often fail.  Relevant documents: The World Health Organization and their Commercial Determinants of Health document. The work of Professor Tim Stockwell, whose meta-analyses that dispute the existence of the J-curve have received huge media attention. You’ll find Chris Snowdon’s criticisms here. The doomed MACH (Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health) trial.  

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