Government: ban youths from liquor

Filling up your shopping bag with strong beer or 4 % ABV alcopops is quite all right even if you are below the age of 18. But the government wants to ban young people from purchasing wine and strong liquor. A new proposal would ban young people below the age of 18 from buying alcoholic beverages stronger than 7 % ABV, writes daily newspaper MetroXpress.

Sending a message
- We want to send a message to young people that swigging down strong liquor is not a good idea, says spokesman on health affairs for Venstre, Birgitte Josefsen.

But the Prevention Committee established by the government in 2008 is not satisfied with that solution. It has recommended a total ban on alcohol for young people below the age of 18 - the way it is in several other European countries.

Won't implement total ban
Researcher Morten Grønbæk doesn't understand why the cut-off point has been set at 7 % ABV. Most of the alcohol consumed by young people is in the form of beer and alcopops.

But Birgitte Josefsen thinks that a total ban on alcohol for young people below the age of 18 would be going too far.

- We could easily pass a law implementing a total ban on alcohol, but people would circumvent it. You just send somebody who's older shopping for whatever you wish to drink, says Birgitte Josefsen.

If young people can't buy alcoholic beverages stronger than 7 % ABV, producers will automatically launch a whole series of new products that hover just below the cut-off point, according to the Danish Chamber of Commerce.

Translated by Martin Lamberth