Availability of Non-Beverage Alcohols in Russia in 2015-2020: Were Control Policies Implemented Since 2005 Effective?

Abstract

Consumption of non-beverage alcohol is an important aspect of hazardous drinking, impacting mortality from various causes of death. Since 2005, non-beverage alcohols in Russia have been the subject of active regulation to control their consumption for drinking. This study was purported to determine whether non-beverage alcohols were available in Russia in 2015–2020 to assess the effectiveness of implemented control policies. During the first wave of the survey between 2015 and 2017, 50 Russian cities of various sizes, types, and locations were surveyed. The second wave was conducted between 2018 and 2020 in 5 cities, which were surveyed during the first wave. Fieldworkers visited various retail outlets and purchased samples of non-beverage alcohols: spirituous liquids with an ethanol content of at least 60% by volume sold at a price of less than 45 roubles per bottle ($0.57, €0.49, £0.44). Up until 2016 various types of non-beverage alcohols known as consumed for drinking were available in retail. The availability of these alcohols differed between cities depending on the level of local enforcement of control regulations. The regulations enacted in response to the 2016 Irkutsk outbreak of mass alcohol poisonings, caused by the consumption of methanol containing fake bath additive “Hawthorn”, removed from the market several types of non-beverage alcohols, significantly reducing their availability since 2017. However, low-cost ethanol sources, such as medicinal tinctures, antiseptics, not denatured eau-de-colognes, remained available in 2017-2020, while new sorts of cheap non-beverage alcohols suitable for drinking were introduced to the market (antiseptics for veterinary use, anti-SARS-CoV-2 hand sanitizers). Illegal alcoholic beverages commonly produced from diverted pharmaceutical/medicinal ethanol were also available in retail networks selling non-beverage alcohols. Since 2005, policies implemented and especially those reinforced and newly enacted in 2017 and later in response to the 2016 Irkutsk outbreak, may have indeed reduced the physical availability of non-beverage alcohols. However, more decisive action is still required to prevent consumption of newly appearing and existing specific sorts of non-beverage alcohols and illegal alcoholic beverages, which are commonly produced from the licit or diverted from the legal market unrecorded illicit pharmaceutical/medicinal ethanol.

Hazardous alcohol consumption in slow- and fast-privatized Russian industrial towns

“…It is also the home of the Buturlinovka air base, which has been actively used by the Russian armed forces after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both towns are situated in the regions of Russia with high availability of non-beverage alcohol and illicit alcoholic beverages, as was identified in the availability survey in the cities of Voronezh and Rossosh (Voronezh Oblast) and Petushki (Vladimir Oblast) in 2015–2020 25 .…”

“…Alcohol surrogates were sold in pharmacies all over the country as medical tinctures, aftershaves (which were often produced with “edible” scents such as lemon, mint, or raspberry), and herbal extracts with high alcohol content 23 , 24 . A recent study also suggests that medicinal spirits sold in pharmacies and medicinal ethanol became the leading sources of cheap alcohol compared to other types of non-beverage alcohol after tightening regulations in 2016, which targeted perfumery and cosmetics products 25 .…”

“…For instance, the high amount of alcohol advertisements and the availability of alcohol outlets created an environment encouraging hazardous drinking in the former Soviet Union countries, including Russia 45 , 46 . A recent study of non-beverage alcohol consumption also demonstrated significant differences in their availability between Russian cities in 2015–2020, which may reflect varying degrees of implementation and enforcement of enacted control regulations and policies targeting non-beverage alcohol 25 .…”

Development of the policy of control over unrecorded alcohol in Russia in the period after 1991

“…езарегистрированный алкоголь в России включает разнообразные источники дешевого этанола, такие как необлагаемые акцизными налогами и фальсифицированные алкогольные напитки, домашний алкоголь, непитьевой/суррогатный алкоголь, другие спиртосодержащие продукты, которые не регистрируются в государственных системах учета производства и оборота алкогольной продукции. Непитьевой суррогатный алкоголь включает различные виды употребляемых для питья спиртосодержащих жидкостей: легальные и нелегальные фальсифицированные парфюмерно-косметические спиртосодержащие жидкости, спиртовые растворы для ванн, медицинские настойки, антисептики, технический и медицинский этанол, пищевые ароматизаторы и другие разновидности (Gil et al, 2009;Gil et al, 2021). Данные алкогольные продукты были доступны для населения России на протяжении десятилетий (Nemtsov, 2011;Gil et al, 2009; Кошкина и др., 2013; Neufeld et al, 2016;Gil et al, 2018;Gil et al, 2021), и их употребление было связано с семикратным увеличением риска смерти, особенно среди трудоспособного населения (Leon et al, 2007) При анализе политики по контролю незарегистрированного алкоголя в России в период с 1991 года следует напомнить, что распад Советского Союза в 1991 году сопровождался почти полным отстранением государства от регулирования алкоголя.…”

“…Непитьевой суррогатный алкоголь включает различные виды употребляемых для питья спиртосодержащих жидкостей: легальные и нелегальные фальсифицированные парфюмерно-косметические спиртосодержащие жидкости, спиртовые растворы для ванн, медицинские настойки, антисептики, технический и медицинский этанол, пищевые ароматизаторы и другие разновидности (Gil et al, 2009;Gil et al, 2021). Данные алкогольные продукты были доступны для населения России на протяжении десятилетий (Nemtsov, 2011;Gil et al, 2009; Кошкина и др., 2013; Neufeld et al, 2016;Gil et al, 2018;Gil et al, 2021), и их употребление было связано с семикратным увеличением риска смерти, особенно среди трудоспособного населения (Leon et al, 2007) При анализе политики по контролю незарегистрированного алкоголя в России в период с 1991 года следует напомнить, что распад Советского Союза в 1991 году сопровождался почти полным отстранением государства от регулирования алкоголя. Это проявилось в резком отказе от существовавшей государственной алкогольной монополии на производство и торговлю спиртом и алкогольными напитками и последующим регуляторным вакуумом в отношении вновь сформировавшегося алкогольного рынка (Nemtsov, 2011).…”