The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for cigarette-style warnings on alcohol cans and bottles. It's argued that such labels are needed to warn drinkers of the link between heavy drinking and seven forms of cancer. This WHO move has been supported by cancer charities including Cancer Research UK and the World Cancer Research Fund. Ireland is the first European country to compel alcohol producers to include health warnings on their labels. France and Lithuania both require product labels to warn about the negative impact of alcohol on pregnancies. The Portman Group, representing UK alcohol producers, claim the labels would be 'too harsh' and would 'unsettle' people (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/14/who-world-health-organization-calls-for-cigarette-style-cancer-warnings-on-alcohol-packaging). Alcohol is a venerable, old drug. If it were discovered today, there would undoubtedly be regulations surrounding its use. The link between alcohol and cancer isn't generally well appreciated by the general public (they tend only to know about alcohol's impact on the brain and the liver). The warnings on cigarette packets seemed to work for tobacco. It might be worth doing the same for beer, wine and spirits. It's debatable, however, whether they will work.
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