Article Effects of Specific Alcohol Control Policy Measures on Alcohol-Related Mortality in Russia

Aims: To elucidate the possible effects of alcohol control policy measures on alcohol-related mortality in Russia between 1998 and 2013. Methods: Trends in mortality, alcohol production and sales were analyzed in conjunction with alco-hol control legislative measures. Correlation analysis of health and alcohol market indicators was performed. Results: Ethyl alcohol production was the strongest correlate of alcohol-related mortality, which is probably due to the fact that ethyl alcohol is used for both recorded and unrecorded alcohol produc-tion. Measures producing greatest mortality reduction effect included provisions which reduced ethyl alcohol production (introduction of minimum authorized capital for ethyl alcohol and liquor producers in 2006 and the requirement for distillery dreg processing), as well as measures to tax and denaturize ethanol-containing liquids in 2006. Liquor tax decrease in real terms was associated with risingmortality in 1998–1999, while excise tax increasewas associated with mortality reduction in 2004 and since 2012. Conventional alcohol control measures may also have played a moderately positive role