Negative Effects of the Proposed Alcohol Prohibition Bill on Safety and Public Health in Indonesia: Studies in Six Cities
Authors
Rofi Uddarojat
The Indonesian House of representatives is currently debating on a bill that would prohibit alcohol production, distribution and consumption in Indonesia. While well intended, this bill would bring with it adverse health effects on public health. In our research, it was discovered that a prohibition on alcohol would result in the growth of the black market especially in areas where partial prohibition is implemented, further more this pushes consumers with limited access to alcohol into wanting stronger spirits or finding other sources of alcoholic beverages such as oplosan.
The current government policy of high excise tax led to increased illegal and unrecorded alcohol consumption. Which is counter productive in its effects. In doing so our research has led to several policy reform recommendations. This includes the lowering of taxes and tariffs to make legal alcohol more affordable, the implantation of mandatory ID checks when buying alcohol, the implementation of strict licensing requirements, and finally public education programmes to educate the public on the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
