Lobbying campaigns and other records were analyzed to determine the level of influence exerted by the alcohol industry on the formation of trade policy. The broadness of sources used leads to a less detailed analysis than a case study, but more comprehensive assessment of the factors involved in the issue.

Results

Free trade agreements and their direct effects can be definitively linked to increased alcohol consumption, and public health concerns generally figure very little in trade policy agreements, while alcohol industry lobbying is a prominent factor in promoting change. Alcohol control measures are the only effective recourse to this situation, and are antithetical to the notions of free trade as promoted by the alcohol industry. Again, these results are somewhat obvious, though they do point out the specific ethical considerations of international marketing and potential practical barriers as reform takes place.

Discussion

The author suggests excluding alcohol form free trade...
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