Fighting Unrecorded Alcohol: Bandung, West Java
Authors
Hizkia Respatiadi
Sugianto Tandra
In April 2018, the Greater Bandung area had a death rate that was five times higher than the rest of the country due to drinking unrecorded alcohol consumption. From 2008 through 10 April 2018, 16.3 deaths from unrecorded alcohol per 1 million people were reported in the Greater Bandung area, compared to 3.4 deaths per 1 million people nationwide.
The Indonesian government has implemented several regulations to limit the distribution of alcohol. However Indonesia has a relatively low alcohol consumption rate and thus should not be a public policy concern. Instead the problem lies with unrecorded alcohol consumption which accounts for 80% of the national alcohol consumed. To counter the dangers of consuming unrecorded alcohol, the government should lower excise and import duties to make alcohol cheaper which would lower the consumption of unrecorded alcohol.
