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Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off‐Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study.

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Title: Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off‐Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study.
Authors: Kowalski, Michala (AUTHOR), Livingston, Michael (AUTHOR), Grigg, Jodie (AUTHOR), Peacock, Amy (AUTHOR), May, Christopher (AUTHOR), Soderstrom, Jessamine (AUTHOR), Taylor, Nicholas (AUTHOR)
Source: Drug & Alcohol Review. May2026, Vol. 45 Issue 4, p1-8. 8p.
Subjects: Chemical testing, Methanol, Liquor stores, Plasticizers, Liquor laws, Drugs of abuse, Tax evasion
Geographic Terms: Melbourne (Vic.), Australia, Victoria
Abstract: Introduction: Illicit alcohol sales account for 90% of the alcohol‐related lost tax revenue in Australia (unrecorded alcohol); however, there is a paucity of research on this segment of the alcohol market. It is currently unclear if illicit alcohol is widely available in Australia and whether it is safe for human consumption. Methods: In this preliminary investigation, to establish immediate availability, we visited four licensed alcohol retailers in high socio‐economic areas of Melbourne, Victoria, during June, July and September 2025. We found and purchased three suspected illicit alcohol products and one control product and submitted all four products for chemical testing. Results: Three out of the four retailers we visited stocked suspected illicit alcohol products. These products were the cheapest products available in their category. Two of the products we tested contained both plasticizers and methanol at levels that far exceed food safety standards. Discussion and Conclusions: Our study confirms that illicit alcohol products are in circulation in Australia, and stocked alongside licit alcohol products by licensed retailers, in contravention of food safety, liquor and tax regulations. Regulations such as those in place in the European Union that routinise sampling and testing of food products could potentially reduce the likelihood of products such as these being stocked in stores; however, it is unclear how widely spread this practice is. There is an urgent need for trans‐disciplinary research into the prevalence, nature and magnitude of illicit alcohol in Australia, to inform and justify a proactive policy approach that could curtail this market. Key Point Summary: Suspected illicit alcohol products were found stocked by licensed retailers in high socio‐economic areas in Melbourne.Chemical testing of the suspected illicit alcohol products established and quantified the presence of plasticizers and methanol in two of the products.These early findings demonstrate the urgent need to establish the prevalence of illicit alcohol products in Australia and move towards a proactive policy approach to the safety of alcohol products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off‐Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kowalski%2C+Michala%22">Kowalski, Michala</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Livingston%2C+Michael%22">Livingston, Michael</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Grigg%2C+Jodie%22">Grigg, Jodie</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peacock%2C+Amy%22">Peacock, Amy</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22May%2C+Christopher%22">May, Christopher</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Soderstrom%2C+Jessamine%22">Soderstrom, Jessamine</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Taylor%2C+Nicholas%22">Taylor, Nicholas</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Drug+%26+Alcohol+Review%22">Drug & Alcohol Review</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 45 Issue 4, p1-8. 8p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chemical+testing%22">Chemical testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Methanol%22">Methanol</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Liquor+stores%22">Liquor stores</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plasticizers%22">Plasticizers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Liquor+laws%22">Liquor laws</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drugs+of+abuse%22">Drugs of abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tax+evasion%22">Tax evasion</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Melbourne+%28Vic%2E%29%22">Melbourne (Vic.)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Australia%22">Australia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Victoria%22">Victoria</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Introduction: Illicit alcohol sales account for 90% of the alcohol‐related lost tax revenue in Australia (unrecorded alcohol); however, there is a paucity of research on this segment of the alcohol market. It is currently unclear if illicit alcohol is widely available in Australia and whether it is safe for human consumption. Methods: In this preliminary investigation, to establish immediate availability, we visited four licensed alcohol retailers in high socio‐economic areas of Melbourne, Victoria, during June, July and September 2025. We found and purchased three suspected illicit alcohol products and one control product and submitted all four products for chemical testing. Results: Three out of the four retailers we visited stocked suspected illicit alcohol products. These products were the cheapest products available in their category. Two of the products we tested contained both plasticizers and methanol at levels that far exceed food safety standards. Discussion and Conclusions: Our study confirms that illicit alcohol products are in circulation in Australia, and stocked alongside licit alcohol products by licensed retailers, in contravention of food safety, liquor and tax regulations. Regulations such as those in place in the European Union that routinise sampling and testing of food products could potentially reduce the likelihood of products such as these being stocked in stores; however, it is unclear how widely spread this practice is. There is an urgent need for trans‐disciplinary research into the prevalence, nature and magnitude of illicit alcohol in Australia, to inform and justify a proactive policy approach that could curtail this market. Key Point Summary: Suspected illicit alcohol products were found stocked by licensed retailers in high socio‐economic areas in Melbourne.Chemical testing of the suspected illicit alcohol products established and quantified the presence of plasticizers and methanol in two of the products.These early findings demonstrate the urgent need to establish the prevalence of illicit alcohol products in Australia and move towards a proactive policy approach to the safety of alcohol products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1111/dar.70167
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Chemical testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Methanol
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Liquor stores
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Plasticizers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Liquor laws
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Drugs of abuse
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tax evasion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Melbourne (Vic.)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Australia
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      – SubjectFull: Victoria
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off‐Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study.
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              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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