Examining the effects of alcohol prohibition Laws in Pakistan on public health Authors Muhammad Akhtar Abbas Khan Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan Farzeen Akhtar Higher Education Department, Government of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.20410 Keywords: Alcohol, prohibition, Public health, Hudood ordinance, Alcohol-related harm Abstract Globally, more than 3.3 million people die of alcohol use every year. Alcohol consumption has a causal association with more than 230 disorders. Pakistan framed its first alcohol prohibition laws in 1977. These laws were further strengthened in 1979 through an ordinance. There is a complete ban on Muslims for alcohol use in the country, while non-Muslims can get a limited quota. There is a punishment of 80 whips for drinking for Muslim citizens. The biggest loophole in the policy is the issuance of quota permits to non-Muslims. These quotas are largely misused by the Muslims in the country. The use of tainted alcohol takes the lives of hundreds of people every year. There is a need to revisit the alcohol policy of Pakistan. There should either be a complete ban on alcohol use for all citizens or the government should take concrete measures for restraining the availability of substandard, or tainted alcoholic beverages. Key Words: Alcohol, Prohibition, Public health, Hudood ordinance, Alcohol-related harm. Author Biography Farzeen Akhtar, Higher Education Department, Government of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Associate Professor (Psychology) Downloads Full Text Article Published 2024-11-17 How to Cite Khan, M. A. A., & Akhtar, F. (2024). Examining the effects of alcohol prohibition Laws in Pakistan on public health. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 74(12), 2155–2159. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.20410 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 74 No. 12 (2024): DECEMBER Section Narrative Review License Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.