The Hidden Cost of Alcohol in Our Community

The uneasy truth behind our drinks

As a medical doctor, I've witnessed firsthand how alcohol abuse tears apart families and burdens our health system. Yet, governments often find themselves caught in a tricky position: they collect significant revenue from alcohol taxes while shouldering the costs of alcohol-related harm—hospital admissions, crime, lost productivity.

This isn’t just bureaucracy; it’s a waiting room where patients die. It’s your neighbour’s child missing school because of family struggles. It’s your local emergency department stretched to breaking point, treating injuries and illnesses directly linked to excess drinking.

The unexpected answer

Recent news out of the United States offers a revealing contrast: alcohol consumption there has dropped to levels unseen since the 1950s, with nearly half the population choosing not to drink at all. Meanwhile, cannabis use is on the rise, particularly in places where it’s legalised for medical or recreational purposes.

I posed some straightforward questions in the Legislative Council to the Minister for Health’s office: Is the Cook Labor government committed to tackling alcohol abuse in Western Australia? What steps are actually being taken? And has the government faced lobbying pressure from the alcohol sector fearful that cannabis legalisation might cut into their profits or tax revenues?

The official response touched on the government’s commitment to national harm minimisation strategies. These include prevention, early intervention, support programs and law enforcement. But when it comes to taxation, responsibility lies with the federal government. Notably absent from the answer was any direct acknowledgment of industry lobbying or active policies aimed at reducing alcohol’s grip on our communities.

Why does it matter?

The ability of the alcohol industry to influence policy is profound—and worrying. Their lobbying efforts often drown out the voices of public health advocates. This leads to policies that prioritise revenue streams over citizens’ wellbeing, allowing alcohol to remain accessible and heavily advertised despite its well-documented harms.

As someone who has spent decades treating patients harmed by alcohol, I find this deeply frustrating. The imbalance fosters a system where profits matter more than prevention. Where tax income takes precedence over the safety of our families.

While the major parties play politics, we forward thinkers must stay rooted in evidence. It’s time to push harder for reforms that reduce alcohol-related harm and embrace options like cannabis legalisation that could provide safer alternatives, decrease health risks and ease pressure on services.

If you’re interested in more insights on public health and policy, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel where I break down complex topics into clear, evidence-based discussions.

Let’s not settle for the status quo. We owe ourselves and future generations a framework that prioritises health over profit, science over spin.

For those wanting to dig deeper into the Legislative Council discussion, I encourage you to read the full Hansard record here. If you share the vision of reform and legal cannabis for better health outcomes, please consider joining Legalise Cannabis WA to help amplify our collective voice at lcwaparty.org.au/join.