SAAPA’s response to Business Day article, ‘Curbing the wild use of alcohol’. The article provides the facts and looks at illegal liquor outlets.
Morar’s article “curbing the wild abuse of alcohol” (Business Day, 23 July, 2015) really made me think. What do we value in South Africa? The right to sell products that kills, maime and destroy and make lots of money from it? Or protecting, promoting and encouraging young people to have fun, stay alive and contribute positively to the economy and ultimately the development of South Africa.
The cold facts are:
• 130 people die every day in South Africa due to alcohol
• 16% of boys drink before age 13, 9% of girls
• 30% of boys, 20% of girls in grade 8 – 11 reported drinking more than 5 drinks in one session in the past month
These statistics alone should be making us sit up. Tighter regulation and enforcement will reduce children’s access to alcohol. A necessary step if we are to prevent whole generations of developing negative drinking habits.
The proposed legislation aims to curb the negative impact of excessive drinking, reduce the number of people who binge drink and reduce government’s current expenditure on consequences of excessive drinking. Government spent R37.9 billion in 2009 on doctoring, nursing, policing, treating and more to deal with negative consequences of alcohol abuse. Yes, there will be challenges in implementing the proposed policy. It should not stop us from trying.
Why is there only concern about illegal outlets? The big fear Morar’s article raise, is that illegal outlets and not legal ones will make the profit. Should the question not be ‘Where do illegal outlets source the alcohol from?’ Should we not hold those distributing to illegal outlets responsible? The magnitude of the existence of illegal outlets in mainly residential areas requires major intervention. Hence the proposal to have licensed outlets operate from economic zones. I wonder what a survey amongst doctors, nurses, paramedics, police and other who deal with the impact of excessive drinking would reveal?