Alcohol retail curfew is one option for Russian Officials

Russia’s top public health official has called for a revolution in Russia’s licensing laws. He has reportedly put forward the suggestion of banning off-trade alcohol sales from 9pm.

Gennady Onishchenko put forward the idea of an alcohol ‘watershed’ in the context of existing measures that have already been taken to limit alcohol retailers in Russia. The government has tripled duty-tax on beer and introduced a minimum price of around $3 for 0.5 litres of vodka. The off-trade curfew is only one amongst a range of ideas being considered. Other options include banning street-side kiosks and advertising and introducing warning labels. A report in health journal The Lancet last year said that half of all deaths of Russians aged 15-54-years-old were linked with excessive alcohol consumption.

It seems inconceivable that a politician in Great Britain would entertain even the suggestion of an alcohol watershed, although minimum pricing has been on the legislative agenda in Scotland. Trade Association NOCTIS recently held a conference in Westminster challenging simplistic media portrayals of ‘Binge Britain’.

http://www.noctisuk.org/socialnorms/437169/social_norms_documents.html

18 March 2010