Over and over again we have to have the discussion about how alcohol consumption has been a massively important social practice across the planet for thousands of years, and despite the significant health effects, prohibition always does more damage because people do not accept being told that they aren't allowed to imbibe.
When traveling in south asia like Thailand or Indonesia I was a little disappointed that it was that much more expensive relative to everything else. Like it was a hardcore drug or something.
I’m personally not a fan or alcohol. But I do think it’s just a “people are gonna want it” kind of thing. I think it should be regulated in a way that discourages abuse and boosts local economies.
I see modern alcohol companies just funneling money out of communities (especially on weekends). Stuff like wines coming out of vineyards might be one thing, but global conglomerates selling cheap beer worldwide is definitely another.
I wonder if it would be beneficial to regulate tobacco and alcohol products so that they were produced locally and thus harder to get, with lower marketing budgets, and limited supply. The added perk is that the money stays in the community.