Objective: The purpose of this article is to summarize and critique from a public health perspective the recent report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT) regarding competition in the beer, wine, and spirits markets in the United States.
Method: A critical review of the recent DOT report was conducted.
Results: The report is remarkable primarily for its ability to spend 64 pages on alcohol regulation and reference none of the public health literature either on the health, social, and economic burden of alcohol use or on the importance and effectiveness of regulatory policies to reduce that burden.
Conclusions: The report is clear evidence that structural public health input into DOT deliberations about policy is missing. The department should create something parallel to its Office of Industry and State Outreach to ensure that future assessments of alcohol markets balance economic insights with public health data and evidence.