Deregulation raises sales of alcohol.

Deregulation of the alcohol market in Ontario, Canada, resulted in an increase in alcohol sales mostly in poor neighborhoods, a June AJPH study found, suggesting that placing limits on alcohol sellers in those neighborhoods could improve public health.

In 2015, Ontario deregulated the alcohol market, allowing grocery stores to sell liquor. The move resulted in at least 380 grocery stores getting liquor licenses between December 2015 and July 2018, mostly in low-income areas. The researchers noted that numerous studies show that increased alcohol availability, including the longer hours grocery stores typically have when compared with those of liquor stores, increases consumption.