Unbelievable Claims from Anti-Alcohol Zealots
How to tell if a claim and its messenger is unbelievable.
Some claims are unbelievable because the claim itself strikes people as absurd and countervailing to years of observation. Other claims are unbelieveable because the person making them is an unserious buffoon.
This is an example of the latter.
“The U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance (USAPA) today condemned reports that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is removing critical alcohol-related health guidance from the upcoming U.S. Dietary Guidelines — clearly in response to pressure from the alcohol industry. The decision comes despite two recent scientific reports submitted to HHS, both of which underscore a clear link between even minimal alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. One of the reports found overwhelming evidence that no level of alcohol use is safe.”
-Mike Marshall, CEO, US Alcohol Policy Alliance
Mr. Marshall is referencing Reuters’ recent report that the Department of Health and Human Services may, in the upcoming Dietary Guidelines, simply suggest that alcohol should be consumed in moderation. This is perhaps the most sound piece of advice that can be made about alcohol consumption.
The “United States Alcohol Policy Alliance” sounds like an important institution. It has that ring about it. It’s not.
The United States Alcohol Policy Alliance is an underfunded alliance of fringe, anti-alcohol nags who are striving to lump responsible and moderate alcohol consumption alongside opioid addiction and tobacco and, in doing so, severely restrict access to and marketing of alcohol.
But back to unbelievable claims. The most recent claim by the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance that “no level of alcohol use is safe” isn’t new. It was famously spit out originally by the World Health Organization. It’s an example of the first kind of unbelievable claim I mentioned earlier: absurd and countervailing to years of observation. In this present case, however, the claim is doubly unbelievable because of who made it: Mike Marshall.
Some background on Mr. Marshall is necessary.
While executive director of another Oregon-based anti-alcohol organization, Mike Marshall, upon hearing of the death-from-heart-attack of beloved local brewer Don Anderson, decided to take to social media, link to the announcement of Anderson’s death, and post the following:
“Heavy drinking is linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including heart conditions. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke. Excessive drinking can also lead to cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle.”