The government of Madagascar has a legislative base to restrict alcohol marketing in the ‘Code Général de Impots’. However, alcohol producers and advertisers are breaking this law en masse, concludes a new EUCAM report from Madagascar.

A recent working paper "The Role of Fiscal Policies in Health Promotion" concludes that the arguments in support of taxes being used to attain public health objectives are strong for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has introduced Self-Learning Courses on several aspects of alcohol and drug harm and policy. The virtual courses may be accessed by anyone and are available in English and Spanish.

Since 2008 government institutions and civil society in Malawi have collaborated on a broad and inclusive consultation process to develop a new alcohol policy. Methods used could be replicated by other countries. The example from Malawi has now been documented in a joint WHO/FORUT report.

A new report published by The Lancet says there is an enormous payoff from investing in health and that fiscal policies are a powerful and underused lever for curbing of non-communicable diseases and injuries. Taxing tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances are among the reccommendations.

A modest proportion of Malawians - 14 per cent - are alcohol drinkers. On the other hand, those who do drink have a high and risky consumption level. These were two of the key conclusions in a report presented to the Malawian Minister of Health Wednesday. The report has mapped drinking habits in Malawi.