Strengthening clauses in Liquor Bill will benefit public
CALLS for the Liquor Amendment Bill to be reintroduced to the national legislature have been made, as organisations believe strengthening certain clauses in the Bill would serve as a springboard for improving alcohol regulation at all levels of government for the public's benefit.
This comes after DG Murray Trust (DGMT) held a workshop yesterday, discussing a way towards reasonable limits on the sale and consumption of alcohol to reduce binge drinking and heavy drinking.
In a policy document compiled by DGMT, it discussed how excess alcohol use brings societal harm, causing ripple effects in communities.
According to the policy document, 61% of homicides in the Western Cape are associated with alcohol, while 40% of men admitting to raping a women, said they were under the influence of alcohol. Additionally, the document explained 40 000 deaths each year were caused by people under the influence of alcohol, with 56% of road deaths caused by drinking and driving.
DGMT innovation manager, Onesisa Mtwa said binge drinking was when a person drank more than five drinks in one sitting, and heavy drinking related to the continuous use of alcohol.
She said a strengthened Liquor Amendment Bill could be the beginning of reducing the high and burdensome costs of alcohol-related harms on society.
“The direct and indirect costs of alcohol-related harms is costing the country roughly R277 billion per year. This includes costs to the public health
system, crime, welfare, economic productivity, road accidents and deaths. So, it’s clear that the government will benefit from the savings incurred from lower alcohol consumption.
“An impact study done by Genesis Analytic estimated the Bill (over a one to 15 year period) could reduce consumption by 3 to 7%, reduce public health costs by R1.9 billion per year, and reduce road accidents by 3% per year. While there aren’t exact figures as yet on crime and violence reduction, they will likely follow the trend of public health and road accident costs.”
She added while it could take at least 15 years to begin seeing tangible change, strengthening the amendment Bill could help change the trajectory of society.
Director of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA, Maurice Smithers said if there were no meaningful changes in liquor legislation and in empowering people in communities to have a meaningful say over when, where and how alcohol was sold in their neighbourhoods, the socio-economic consequences for society would increase.
“The National Liquor Policy contains recommendations which, if fully implemented, would contribute to a significant reduction in alcohol-related harm. So it’s not a need for adjustment to the policy that is needed, but the enactment of the recommendations of the policy as legislation.
“We would also recommend a re-evaluation of the allocation of liquor-related mandates in the country. The one proposal is liquor policy should be a national competency, with provinces taking responsibility for implementing that policy and its associated legislation, but not having their own separate policies and legislation.
“Second, we believe that the harm-reduction aspects of liquor policy should be moved from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, to either the Department of Health or the Department of Social Development.”