ABSTRACT
Public health law is one of the chief organising forces for public health, and it provides the government authority, the policy framework and the accepted mechanism by which the state is able to intervene in the everyday lives of citizens on the grounds of protecting the health, security and well-being of the community. This chapter examines a number of the basic features and concepts associated with the law, law-making and the administration of law, including reasons why we make laws and how they are made. It discusses the features of public health law and the traditional regulatory tools associated with public health law. The chapter examines the continued use of legislation as a public health tool for the management of contemporary and emerging public health issues. Public health legislation gives the state the authority to intervene in public health matters in the interest of the public.
