The U.S. Surgeon General’s office has issued the agency’s first-ever report on addiction, which includes proposals for restricting alcohol access that critics say go too far and could end up targeting usage among even casual drinkers. The report provides tools for medical providers to help patients struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and points to policy changes communities can consider. The recommendations are similar to public health efforts implemented after a 1964 surgeon general report on tobacco that were eventually credited with a threefold decrease in the smoking rate, but some say drawing such comparisons is problematic because it’s unclear that alcohol use poses such a clear risk to public health.
For Public Health, Is Alcohol the Next Tobacco?
