Alcohol spells socio-economic doom; national policy to make Lanka booze-free nation
It is a sight that greets many as the evening shadows lengthen into night -swaying, lurching and staggering, an inebriated person with obscenities spewing forth, attempting to make his way home.
Often whatever time this husband and father reaches home, the family lives in fear of what accompanies his arrival...... usually the children crouch in terror in a corner of their home, while being mute witnesses of the battering and abuse directed at their mother. Alcohol is the culprit. It was a strong case of the ‘glass running over’ as facts and figures were poured out against alcohol, to a packed audience on Thursday, with the launch of Sri Lanka’s National Policy on Alcohol Control.
The ‘National Alcohol Summit’ at the BMICH not only heard Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne holding alcohol up for review but also Health Services DirectorGeneral Palitha Mahipala, introducing the National Policy on Alcohol Control, the initial steps towards making Sri Lanka alcohol-free.
Sending out a clear call to take immediate steps to phase out all corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects by the alcohol industry and halt the interactions of government officials with the alcohol industry, Dr. Chithramalee de Silva, the Health Ministry’s Director of Mental Health and Consultant Community Physician, built-up powerful evidence against alcohol.
“Alcohol consumption is the first leading risk factor for premature deaths and disabilities,” she stressed, stating that alcohol is strongly linked to poverty, the high suicide rate and deliberate self-harm and gender-based violence.
Alcohol-use is a major obstacle to human development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations, she said.
Explaining that the Health Ministry and the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) took into consideration the input of all stakeholders, Dr. de Silva spelt out the priority areas of the National Policy as marketing; pricing and trade; limiting availability and accessibility; drinking and driving; community actions and surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and research.
In a nutshell, according to Dr. de Silva, this is how these priority areas will be handled: Marketing – by eliminating all direct and indirect forms of alcohol advertising, promotion and marketing. New legislation to be drafted to cover advertising; promotions through television/cinema; and labelling and packaging of alcohol products. Pricing, trade and investment – minimise consumption of alcohol through pricing, trade and investment policies by bringing in a mechanism for tax control and paying attention to trade agreements etc. Availability and accessibility of alcohol products from any source -- minimise the access of all types of alcohol products to those below the age of 21; prohibiting the subsidising of alcohol purchase through any means (eg. as a part of the price of an entrance ticket); prohibiting the sale of alcohol products in public gatherings where children have access (eg. sports events); and establishing a new transparent system of obtaining licences for sale of all types of alcoholic beverages. Establish a mechanism to control illicit alcohol products -- strengthen actions of Police and Excise Departments; increase measures to deter illegal production, transport