A Public Health Approach to Alcohol Use and its Related Harms in Iran

In Iran, alcohol consumption, production, and trade are criminalised for Muslim citizens; however, bootleg alcohol and harmful alcohol consumption is a burden that should not be overlooked.

Currently the Iranian Ministry of Health has developed a national programme that aims to reduce alcohol consumption by 10% between 2015 and 2025 through three main action steps: first, integration of alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment in primary health care. Although this is a positive move forward, the rollout of the programme faces several barriers including insufficient resources within health care systems and the lack of first line medical and legal support in the early detection programmes.

Researchers, writing for the Lancet Public Health, outline the changes that might be made to recognise and tackle the issue of harmful alcohol consumption in Iran.