Observational studyDrug and alcohol review2026
Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off-Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study.
Observational study in Drug and alcohol review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionIllicit 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.
methodsIn 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.
resultsThree 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
conclusionsOur 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.
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Registered trials
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