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Developments in global tobacco and alcohol policy

An open access cross-journal collection
 

Alcohol and tobaccoAlcohol and tobacco are among the most widely consumed psychoactive drugs. The substances are consumed for many reasons, which may include their effects on the brain and body, as well as for social and cultural reasons.

However, alcohol and tobacco also rank among the most harmful psychoactive substances. They are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, and can cause harm not only to the individual, but to society as a whole. In many jurisdictions legal alcohol and tobacco are widely available, though the regulatory framework surrounding them can vary considerably from country to country.

In May of 2018, the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 came into effect. The law aims to reduce excessive drinking and the associated harms but was delayed due to a Supreme Court challenge by industry bodies.

In December 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory warning of an “E-cigarette epidemic among youth”. Around the same time in the United Kingdom, Public Health England maintained that e-cigarette use is 95% less harmful than combustible tobacco, and launched a campaign seeking to encourage adults to switch.

Alcohol and tobacco polices generate a significant amount of public interest, and can be surrounded by no small amount of controversy. This special thematic series aims to bring together a selection of the latest research and developments surrounding global alcohol and tobacco policy, from a variety of different viewpoints.

Topics of key importance to recent legislation were encouraged:

  • Innovation in alcohol and tobacco policy and policy development
  • Implementation and evaluation of policies and their effects
  • Global governance of alcohol and tobacco
  • Economic analysis of policies including studies of behavioral economics
  • Opinions and feedback on policies from healthcare professionals, policymakers and public
  • Controversy, conflicts-of-interest, industry involvement in policy formation
  • Global influences on the diffusion of alcohol and tobacco commodities


We encourage readers to visit the websites listed below for each individual journal within this collection and additional information on their Aims & Scope, as well as additional work related to that field.

Participating journals

For more information about each participating journal, including article-processing charges, click on its title below. Each article in the collection followed the peer review policy of the journal it was submitted to and accepted in.


Submission deadline: August 31st 2022 (now closed)


  1. Although the detrimental health effects of alcohol are well established, consumption levels are high in many high-income countries such as Germany. Improving alcohol health literacy presents an integrated appr...

    Authors: Jakob Manthey, Daša Kokole, Steffi Riedel-Heller, Gill Rowlands, Ingo Schäfer, Georg Schomerus, Renate Soellner and Carolin Kilian
    Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2023 18:28
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Since the imposition of the 2018 excise tax, new tobacco products (electronic nicotine delivery system, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches) have been considered legal, and their sale has grown rapid...

    Authors: Mouhamad Bigwanto, Fathi Muhammad, Sarah Muthia Widad and Laksmana Yudha
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2022 17:78
    Content type: Brief Report Published on:

  3. Interdisciplinary collaborations (i.e., where various disciplines work coordinated and interdependently toward shared goals) are stated to yield higher team effectiveness than multidisciplinary approaches (i.e...

    Authors: Nathalie Kools, Guus G. Dekker, Brenda A. P. Kaijen, Bert R. Meijboom, Rob H. L. M. Bovens and Andrea D. Rozema
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2022 17:59
    Content type: Research Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2022 17:64

  4. The Miller Brewing Company (MBC) was wholly owned by Phillip Morris (PM), between 1970 and 2002. Tobacco industry document studies identify alliances between the alcohol and tobacco industries to counter U.S. ...

    Authors: Jim McCambridge, Jack Garry, Kypros Kypri and Gerard Hastings
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2022 18:52
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. The teratogenic effect of fetal alcohol exposure may lead to actual and potential problems, instantly after birth, at infancy; or even later, and mental impairment in life. This study aimed to investigate the ...

    Authors: Alemu Earsido Addila, Telake Azale, Yigzaw Kebede Gete and Mezgebu Yitayal
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2021 16:64
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Although the Chinese government has introduced a series of regulations to promote tobacco-related health education in workplaces, their implementation has been far from satisfactory. The aim of the present stu...

    Authors: Haoxiang Lin, Meijun Chen, Yunting Zheng, Qingping Yun and Chun Chang
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2021 16:56
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Drug addiction is difficult to overcome. The relapse rate is high, and the negative impact on individuals, families and society is severe, therefore exploring social psychological mechanisms to reduce relapse ...

    Authors: Xiaoqing Zeng, Mengyao Lu and Meirong Chen
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2021 16:48
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Harm perceptions of tobacco and nicotine products can influence their use and could be targeted by policies to change behaviour. IQOS was introduced to the UK in 2016, and there is little independent qualitati...

    Authors: Katherine A. East, Charlotte N. E. Tompkins, Ann McNeill and Sara C. Hitchman
    Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:42
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Alcohol harms are rising globally, and alcohol policies, where they exist, are weak or under-developed. Limited progress has been made since the formulation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Strate...

    Authors: Mary Madden and Jim McCambridge
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2021 17:45
    Content type: Debate Published on:

  10. The smoking prevalence is high among students enrolled in vocational education and training, which is considered a lower level of education. The school tobacco policy regarding smoke-free school hours stipulat...

    Authors: Anneke Vang Hjort, Michael Schreuders, Kathrine Højlund Rasmussen and Charlotte Demant Klinker
    Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2021 2:40
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Alcohol consumption in China has increased rapidly, and there have been calls for policies and programs to address the issue. Alcohol plays a complex and important role in Chinese culture, where it is consider...

    Authors: Debra Ann Metcalf, Anthony Saliba, Kirsty McKenzie and Appy Gao
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2021 16:31
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Randomized trials of complex interventions are increasingly including qualitative components to further understand factors that contribute to their success. In this paper, we explore the experiences of health ...

    Authors: Nadia Minian, Aliya Noormohamed, Mathangee Lingam, Laurie Zawertailo, Bernard Le Foll, Jürgen Rehm, Norman Giesbrecht, Andriy V. Samokhvalov, Dolly Baliunas and Peter Selby
    Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2021 16:17
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. To support a move towards a coordinated non-communicable disease approach in public health policy, it is important to conceptualise changes to policy on tobacco and alcohol as affecting a single interlinked sy...

    Authors: Duncan Gillespie, Jenny Hatchard, Hazel Squires, Anna Gilmore and Alan Brennan
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2021 21:17
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  15. Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) are among the most prevalent mental disorders in the world. They are the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among 15 to 49-year-olds. Links between alcohol m...

    Authors: Morgane Guillou Landreat, Céline Beauvais, Marie Grall Bronnec, Delphine Le Goff, Jean Yves Le reste, Delphine Lever, Antoine Dany and Karine Gallopel Morvan
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2020 15:90
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. In October 2018, the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC or Convention) adopted its first decision on novel and emerging tobacco products, including heated tobacco pr...

    Authors: Lukasz Gruszczynski and Margherita Melillo
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2020 16:81
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. Both alcohol drinking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure have shown a strong association with smoking behaviour. This study uses mediation analysis to clarify the process underlying the relationship between ...

    Authors: Haoxiang Lin, Chun Chang and Zhao Liu
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2020 15:67
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Worldwide, tobacco use has caused over 100 million deaths in the twentieth century and is projected to cause death in up to one billion people in the twenty-first century. It is a leading cause of early death ...

    Authors: Brian Colwell, Kizito B. A. Mosema, Matthew S. Bramble and Jay Maddock
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2020 16:66
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Drug use can lead to several psychological, medical and social complications. The current study aimed to measure and decomposes socioeconomic-related inequalities in drug use among adults in Iran.

    Authors: Mehdi Moradinazar, Farid Najafi, Farzad Jalilian, Yahya Pasdar, Behrooz Hamzeh, Ebraim Shakiba, Mohammad Hajizadeh, Ali Akbar Haghdoost, Reza Malekzadeh, Hossein Poustchi, Marzeyeh Nasiri, Hassan Okati-Aliabad, Majid Saeedi, Fariborz Mansour-Ghanaei, Sara Farhang, Ali Reza Safarpour…
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2020 15:39
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. In China, substance use disorders represent a significant burden on public health and the economy. However, while the range of drugs and drug markets expands and diversifies, the instruments available to evalu...

    Authors: Huiyuan Gao, Meizhu Liu, Xu Luo, Jun Zhang and Taisheng Cai
    Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2020 15:28
    Content type: Research Published on: