Addressing the harmful use of alcohol - WHO Western Pacific Region

4. Regulating availability
The evidence from a variety of industries is that a well-monitored licensing system can be a
responsive and effective means of regulating business activities.
Transitional measures
Such a licensing system may be too ambitious for some countries, but some components
may be possible as an interim measure or as a transitional stage in moving towards a more
comprehensive licensing system. In some emerging markets for alcohol, bars, shops, hotels and
other businesses may already be selling alcohol with no requirement for a specific licence (other
than a general business licence) to do so. In this case, an implementation period and transitional
processes would be required.
For example, in a country with no prior alcohol regulation at all, a set of minimum alcohol
offences enforced by police may be a starting point, with monitoring and enforcement improving
under a specialist, separately resourced policy unit (as with traffic work).
The offences to be monitored and enforced by police might include:
• sale of alcohol without evidence that alcohol excise taxes have been paid;
• sale of alcohol to minors;
• supply of alcohol to minors by any adult;
• sale of alcohol outside certain hours or days of trading;
• sale of alcohol to already intoxicated persons; and
• restrictions on alcohol marketing (e.g. no ads on broadcast media, no sponsorships by
producers or sellers of alcohol, no targeting of young people).
Many countries have such alcohol laws but have not yet legislated adequate systems to ensure
monitoring and enforcement – that is, there is a gap between policy and enforcement.
At a later stage of policy development, a register of the alcohol-selling businesses that police are
monitoring could be developed and passed to the responsibility of a separate licensing agency.
In a few countries, those selling alcohol have a general business or retail licence, which could
provide a first step to licensing alcohol. For example, Viet Nam increased its business regulation
of alcohol in 2008 to require alcohol producers or business (wholesale or retail) to obtain licence
(except for home-brew for self-consumption).
In late 2009, Scotland was considering a legislative amendment to allow a local authority to
impose a social responsibility levy on licensees if it considered it necessary or desirable to
remedy adverse impacts on it achieving the objectives of the Licensing Act. The levy could offset
the costs of additional monitoring and enforcement, for example.
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