loading . . . Alcohol News - 20/2026 RUV (Iceland) - **Online alcohol sales “open tap” for children and teenagers
**A survey by landlæknir (Directorate of Health) shows that children and young people can easily buy alcohol in online shops. A prevention specialist says increased activity by such shops undermines prevention work and leads to increased consumption.
https://www.ruv.is/english/2026-05-21-online-alcohol-sales-open-tap-for-children-and-teenagers-476080
The Brussels Times - **Alcohol marketing: profiting from vulnerability
**Despite declining alcohol consumption in Europe, alcohol remains significantly overproduced in the EU. In 2026 alone, the EU spent €40 million managing surplus wine production—funds that could instead have gone to public health, social support, or community wellbeing.
https://www.brusselstimes.com/2093305/alcohol-marketing-profiting-from-vulnerability
News-Medical - **Smartphone overdependence may signal higher alcohol and smoking risk in teens
**A large Korean adolescent study links problematic smartphone dependence with higher odds of lifetime drinking and smoking, raising new questions about how digital behaviors, reward-seeking, and substance-use risks may cluster during teenage development.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260521/Smartphone-overdependence-may-signal-higher-alcohol-and-smoking-risk-in-teens.aspx
BU Today (USA) - **Boston University–Trained High Schoolers Educate Lawmakers About Taxing Alcohol
**Boston University–trained high school students visited the Massachusetts State House to share personal stories and data urging lawmakers to support a proposed 10‑cent‑per‑drink alcohol tax increase.
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/boston-university-trained-high-schoolers-educate-lawmakers-about-taxing-alcohol/
STAT - **Why isn’t alcohol seen as a public health emergency?
**Alcohol kills more Americans than any other drug by a wide margin. But discussions about substance use epidemics in the U.S. are usually centered around drugs like fentanyl or meth. In fact, most people in the U.S. do not see alcohol is as much of a public health problem.
https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/15/alcohol-as-public-health-emergency-status-report-alex-hogan/
Nation Thailand (Thailand) - **Thailand alcohol controls take effect pending advertising criteria
**Thailand's new Alcoholic Beverage Control Act has taken effect, introducing updated restrictions on alcohol. The new controls immediately ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in eight specific types of locations, including public transport hubs, government properties, and public parks.
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40066499
PsyPost - **A healthy diet doesn’t cancel out the inflammatory effects of alcohol, study finds
**New research published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism suggests that moderate to heavy drinking tends to be associated with increased bodily inflammation, even for individuals who maintain a highly nutritious diet.
https://www.psypost.org/a-healthy-diet-doesnt-cancel-out-the-inflammatory-effects-of-alcohol-study-finds/
The Dubrovnik Times (Croatia) - **Croatian Parliament Debates New Restrictions on Alcohol Sales
**The Croatian Parliament is set to debate urgent amendments to the Trade Act that would allow cities and municipalities to regulate the hours during which alcohol can be sold in shops.
https://www.thedubrovniktimes.com/news/croatia/item/19822-croatian-parliament-debates-new-restrictions-on-alcohol-sales
PopNAD (Sweden) - **Sweden opened the door to farm sales of alcohol – here’s who walked in
**Who buys alcohol straight from Swedish producers? In this article, Björn Trolldal (CAN) presents findings from a new study based on national survey data, offering a first look at consumer characteristics following the introduction of farm sales in 2025.
https://nordicwelfare.org/popnad/en/artiklar/sweden-opened-the-door-to-farm-sales-of-alcohol-heres-who-walked-in/
University of Sheffield (UK) - **What do people with experience of alcohol dependence think about alcohol pricing policy?
**Alcohol pricing and tax policies are among the most effective and well-evidenced options for tackling alcohol-related harms1. However, it is less clear how effective they are in reducing alcohol consumption among people with alcohol dependence.
https://sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/blog/what-do-people-with-experience-of-alcohol-dependence-think-about-alcohol-pricing-policy/
IAS - **The more you look, the more you drink: how attention to alcohol adverts drives consumption
**Alcohol adverts are everywhere: on television, online, at sporting events, and on billboards. We know that exposure to alcohol advertising is linked to increased drinking.
https://www.ias.org.uk/2026/05/19/the-more-you-look-the-more-you-drink-how-attention-to-alcohol-adverts-drives-consumption/
Movendi (Brazil) - **Internal Survey on Beer Price Attitudes Reaches Lula’s Inner Circle and Delays Alcohol Tax Reform
**An internal survey by Instituto Locomotiva – with framing of questions that mirrors the beer industry’s lobbying messaging – has reached Lula’s advisers and contributed to the government’s decision to postpone the Selective Tax bill until after the October 2026 elections, delaying the centrepiece of Brazil’s alcohol tax reform by at least a year.
https://movendi.ngo/media-snapshot/internal-survey-on-beer-price-attitudes-reaches-lulas-inner-circle-and-delays-alcohol-tax-reform/
The National Law Review - **Ohio State Study Targets Alcohol Marketing That Downplays Breast Cancer Risk
**A new study at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) seeks to raise awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer specifically among young women.
https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/ohio-state-study-targets-alcohol-marketing-downplays-breast-cancer-risk
NordAN (Greenland) - **Greenland debates national alcohol policy with children’s rights at the centre
**Greenland’s parliament, Inatsisartut, has held a debate on whether the country should develop a national alcohol policy with children’s rights as the guiding principle. The debate, held on 13 May 2026, was proposed by Nivi Rosing from Inuit Ataqatigiit and asked how Greenland should balance adults’ individual freedom with the protection of children from alcohol-related harm.
https://www.nordicalcohol.org/post/greenland-debates-national-alcohol-policy-with-children-s-rights-at-the-centre
NordAN (Iceland) - **Icelandic government confirms online alcohol sales from domestic warehouses are not private importation
**A coalition of Icelandic prevention organisations has welcomed the Icelandic Government’s response to the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA), saying it clearly confirms that online alcohol sales, as currently carried out in Iceland with domestic warehousing and delivery, are illegal.
https://www.nordicalcohol.org/post/icelandic-government-confirms-online-alcohol-sales-from-domestic-warehouses-are-not-private-importat http://alcoholweekly.blogspot.com/2026/05/alcohol-news-202026.html
