Should alcoholic beverages have cancer warning labels?

Fifteen words are roiling the global alcohol industry.

Beginning in 2026, containers of beer, wine and liquor sold in Ireland will be required by law to bear a label in red capital letters with two warnings: "There Is a Direct Link Between Alcohol and Fatal Cancers" and "Drinking Alcohol Causes Liver Disease."

The requirement, signed into law last year, is backed by decades of scientific research and goes much further than any country has thus far communicated the health risks of alcohol consumption. It has sparked fierce opposition from alcohol businesses worldwide, but it is also inspiring a push in some other countries to pursue similar measures.

"It's an important step," said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria. "People who drink should have the right to know basic information about...