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"I want to consume this product, should public health experts stop me?” — No

Michael J Keane
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (7): . || doi: 10.5694/mja11.11021
Published online: 3 October 2011

Anaesthetist Michael Keane says no

In Melbourne, a prominent billboard summarises: “Alcohol does not cause violence. Blame and punish the individual”. Ironically, this simple message articulates a far more comprehensive understanding of the complete body of relevant knowledge than many public health academics who advocate reactionary, prohibition-like controls on the voluntary consumption of ever more products.


  • Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC.



Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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