“Brazil should have a ‘Petrobras for alcoholic beverages’, says USP professor”
BBC News Brasil reports:
“The current crisis of methanol poisoning in Brazil stems from a “hyper-liberal” regulatory model, the result of an economy that for centuries was based on the production of sugarcane derivatives, such as sugar and rum, according to historian Henrique Carneiro, professor of Modern History at the University of São Paulo ( USP) and coordinator of the Laboratory for Historical Studies on Drugs and Food (Lehda).
“‘We had an economy and culture here that was very lenient towards alcohol, linked to the concept that Gilberto Freyre calls ‘sugarocracy’. That’s why there has never been any kind of restriction here,’ observes Carneiro, who is also a member of the international association of historians Alcohol and Drugs History Society (ADHS).
“As an alternative, the historian advocates the adoption in Brazil of a model closer to that of countries such as Canada, Sweden, and Uruguay until a few years ago, in which the state holds a monopoly on the wholesale distribution of alcoholic beverages. It would be a kind of ‘alcohol petrobras’, says the researcher.”
“‘Sober October’: learn about the international movement that is gaining momentum with the methanol scandal in Brazil”
Globo reports:
“Cases of methanol poisoning after consuming adulterated beverages in Brazil have led many people to avoid drinking alcohol and fuelled a trend that is already occurring in other countries: abstaining from alcohol throughout the month of October. In a post on X with almost 50,000 likes, one internet user says they will not drink ‘a single drop of alcohol for an indefinite period’: ‘I am terrified of methanol.’
“‘Sober October’ began in the United Kingdom in 2014 as a challenge launched by Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that supports cancer patients. The goal was to draw attention to the high number of cancer cases linked to alcohol consumption, encourage a month of sobriety, and raise funds.”
Assessment
The methanol scandal has underscored the risks of Brazil’s largely deregulated alcohol market, where disbanded oversight, tracking, and tracing of alcohol production and distribution enables illicit production and sales. Professor Carneiro’s proposal for a state-controlled wholesale monopoly, modelled on Nordic systems, would remove profit incentives from critical parts of the alcohol sales chain and prioritise a public health approach to alcohol availability, quality control and transparent supply.
Complementary reforms – such as reinstating a national traceability system for production, differentiating taxes by alcohol strength, and earmarking revenues for inspection and prevention – could create a coherent framework to prevent and reduce alcohol harm in Brazil.
The public’s growing engagement with Sober October signals an emerging awareness of alcohol’s health impacts and people’s growing interest to redefine the role of alcohol in society. The evolving norms, behaviors, and awareness around alcohol, especially visible among younger generations, is likely also further increasing support for health-oriented alcohol policies and opening more avenues for public dialogue on prevention of and accountability for alcohol harms. By linking this growing and improving public consciousness with the need for alcohol policy reform, advocates can help turn a moment of personal reflection into lasting momentum for policies that protect health, ensure product safety, and prevent and reduce alcohol harm.
The media reports about Brazilians turning to Sober October and the public discourse exploring policy options to better tackle the full extent of alcohol harm are clear indications that in Brazil Big Alcohol’s tactic of distracting from the harm their products are causing by propagating fears of the “illicit market” has backfired in Brazil – especially so because the alcohol industry has opposed the reestablishment of a proper tracking and tracing system of alcohol production in Brazil.
Following the methanol contamination crisis, public trust in alcohol products has plummeted while public interest in robust measures to protect people from alcohol harms is growing.