10 years of debate on ban or not, alcohol consumption increases again
When the Law on Alcohol Prevention was first drafted, Vietnamese people consumed 2.7 million liters of alcohol per year; 10 years later it reached 4.67 million liters.
Mr. Nguyen Huy Quang - Head of the Legal Department, Ministry of Health said that the Law on Prevention of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer "is probably the bill that took the longest time to prepare, with 8 years of campaigning, preparation and construction. If including the time to come up with ideas, it would be more than 10 years".
At the time the law was first drafted, the total amount of beer consumed each year by Vietnamese people was only 2.7 million liters. Currently, the consumption has increased to 4.67 million liters, and the law-making process has not yet been completed. The beer consumption rate of Vietnamese people is ranked 10th in the world, 3rd in Asia (after China and Japan).
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| Vietnam has the highest rate of men drinking alcohol and beer in the world. |
Vietnam has become one of the countries with the highest average annual growth rate of beer consumption in the world, while other countries are gradually decreasing. Not to mention, it is estimated that there are still at least 350 million liters of craft alcohol in circulation in the market, Vietnam is one of 12 countries that still allow people to brew their own alcohol.
According to Mr. Quang, there are still many controversial opinions in the draft Law on Prevention of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer. Many opinions proposed to change the name to Law on Prevention of Harmful Effects and Control of Alcohol and Beer for Human Health. Some opinions said that advertising and promotion of alcohol and beer under 15 degrees of alcohol should not be restricted because it is not compatible with the Law on Advertising and the Law on Commerce.
"If the draft Law on Alcohol Prevention removes the proposals to control alcohol advertising and promotion activities, the content will be empty," said Mr. Quang.
Initially, when drafting the draft, the Ministry of Health proposed 3 options for selling alcohol and beer by the hour. Accordingly, option 1: Alcohol and beer can only be sold from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 10pm every day; except for sales at international airports and areas and streets specializing in food, entertainment, and tourism businesses.
Option 2: Alcohol and beer can only be sold from 6am to 10pm every day, except in international airports and streets specializing in food, entertainment, and tourism businesses...
Option 3: The period during which alcohol and beer sales are not allowed will be implemented according to the Government's prescribed roadmap.
However, these three options are no longer in the draft due to many controversial opinions.
Faced with a series of tragic accidents caused by drivers using alcohol, on May 3, the Ministry of Health sent a document to the Prime Minister, requesting to keep the name of the Law on Prevention of Harmful Effects of Alcohol. The Ministry also recommended keeping the proposed regulations on management of advertising and promotion of alcohol and beer "because this is a group of alcoholic beverages, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen, affecting most organs in the body".
"According to statistics from the National Traffic Safety Committee, traffic accidents happen most often from 8pm to midnight. Thailand and Singapore both have regulations prohibiting drinking alcohol, so why doesn't Vietnam apply them?", Mr. Quang asked.
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| Many tragic accidents are caused by drivers drinking too much alcohol. Illustrative photo |
Currently, 17 countries ban alcohol and beer advertising in all media, 83 countries ban it partially. France bans alcohol and beer advertising with alcohol content of 1.2% or higher on TV and in cinemas; strictly controls advertising content in other media and must have health warnings attached; bans sponsorship of cultural and sports events...
Over 100 countries have regulations on places where alcohol sales are prohibited, 123 countries have regulations on places where drinking is prohibited (public places, parks...). About 90 countries have regulations on retail hours for spirits, light wines, and beer. 123 countries have regulations on the density of points of sale, for example, the US does not issue more than one retail license for alcohol and beer on a street.
In Southeast Asia, Thailand enacted a law to control alcoholic beverages in 2008, which was later amended in 2015. The country only allows the sale of alcohol and beer from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to midnight every day. Violators face up to six months in prison and/or a maximum fine of 10,000 baht. Thanks to this, Thailand has reduced the number of traffic accidents by 50%, saving more than $6 billion in damage costs.
Singapore has had laws on the consumption and supply of beer and alcohol since 2015.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health believes that it is necessary to urgently complete the legal framework with strong enough regulations to control the harmful effects of alcohol and beer consumption.
The draft Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol Harm consists of 7 chapters and 36 articles. It is expected that the draft will be presented to the National Assembly for the second time during the 7th session taking place in May.
