BMJ  2007;334:1235 (16 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39241.435278.3A

Letters

Doctors and alcohol

Investing in alcohol is no longer responsible

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"Doctors are stalwart drinkers," says Richards, calling on doctors to do more to tackle alcohol abuse.¹ Doctors are also stalwart investors and must begin to use their financial clout as shareholders to remove alcohol from their portfolios.

Last autumn, the multinational drinks industry used its political, business, and financial lobbying muscle to subvert the European Commission's attempts to bring forward an alcohol strategy based on public health principles.² In the past, the public health agenda has relied solely on evidence to effect political change. This worked when elected politicians had a stronger influence on society. The business corporations have now become bigger players where the measure of success is profit. Health policy has to accommodate to this change and will have to engage shareholders directly to get them to avoid alcohol at both manufacturing and the sometimes forgotten retailing levels.

Leadership is required from doctors, who are often the first . . . [Full text of this article]

Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences, AMNCH Tallaght, Dublin 24, Republic of Ireland

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