Fake news and addiction are driving people toward bootleg alcohol around the world — often with fatal consequences. The coronavirus has claimed more than 160,000 lives worldwide, but in Iran, one of the worst-hit countries, there's a second epidemic brewing. At least 300 people have died and 1,000 have fallen sick in recent weeks in the Sharia-ruled country after consuming methanol, a solvent also known as wood alcohol. Booze is illegal in Iran, but there's rampant social media fake news suggesting alcohol as a cure for COVID-19. |