Target the suppliers

SIR — Meshan Morar’s article (Curbing the wild abuse of alcohol, July 23) made me think. What do we value? The right to sell products that kill, maim and destroy and make lots of money from it? Or protecting and encouraging young people to have fun, stay alive and contribute positively to the development of SA?

The cold facts are that 130 people die every day in SA due to alcohol; 16% of boys drink before the age of 13, as well as 9% of girls; and 30% of boys and 20% of girls in Grades 8-11 report drinking more than five 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 developing negative drinking habits.

The proposed legislation aims to curb the negative effects of excessive drinking, reduce the number of people who binge-drink and reduce government expenditure on the consequences of excessive drinking — it spent R37.9bn in 2009.

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 is that illegal outlets and not legal ones will make the profit. Should the question not be: “Where do illegal outlets source their alcohol from?” Should we not hold those distributing to illegal outlets responsible?

I wonder what a survey among doctors, nurses, paramedics, police and others who deal with the effects of excessive drinking, would reveal?

Aadielah Maker Diedericks Southern Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance