State monopoly systems and alcohol prevention in developing countries: report on a collaborative international study.

In many countries, state alcohol monopoly systems have been adopted as a means of public control over alcohol availability. These countries include industrialized as well as developing countries. In this paper, an analysis is presented on the present state and potentials of state alcohol monopoly systems in preventing alcohol abuse. Special reference is given to the specificity of alcoholic beverages supply in developing countries and the potential contributions of existing state monopoly systems in developed countries to assist developing countries willing to adopt and implement preventive national alcohol policies.