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Major stakeholders and government departments are proposing some major amendments to the country’s existing liquor laws in the Liquor Amendment Bill.

First introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2016, the proposals aim to regulate alcohol consumption in South Africa.

Several measures were proposed, including raising the legal drinking age to 21, limiting alcohol sales within a 100-metre radius of educational and religious institutions, prohibiting alcohol advertising on social and local media, and creating a responsibility provision for dealers.

The issue of alcohol use became especially contentious during the lockdowns when alcohol bans were occasionally imposed to reduce hospital admissions due to alcohol-related injuries and accidents.

But despite the increasing focus on dealing with alcohol consumption in South Africa, we had bigger fish to fry and little progress was made towards bringing the bill forward.

However, Aadielah Maker Diedericks, Secretary General of the South African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), told BusinessTech that there is now a greater need to revive the proposed bill, particularly the planned increase in the legal drinking age.

While it seems a losing battle to enforce an increased drinking age (try convincing first-year students at any of our university campuses), research proves that the potential benefits might make it worth the trouble.

A report by the DG Murray Trust (DGMT) outlined the potential benefits of raising the legal drinking age to 21, highlighting that although most countries maintain the drinking age at 18, raising it to 21 in South Africa could lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol-related traffic injuries and fatalities.

According to the study, increasing the age limit could decrease alcohol consumption by as much as 12%.

The South African Department of Social Development is also throwing its weight behind the proposals, with Minister Sisisi Tolashe pointing out that alcohol is the most abused legal substance in the country, disproportionately affecting young people.

The South African National Demographic and Health Survey also revealed that 25% of kids aged 15 to 19 had already consumed alcohol, with booze playing a significant role in non-natural deaths across the country, being involved in 75% of homicides, 60% of automobile accidents, and 24% of vehicle-related deaths and injuries.

Alcohol is the third-largest contributor to death and disability in South Africa, with unsafe sexual practices and interpersonal violence both heavily influenced by alcohol use.

While these stats point to the need for better intervention methods, raising the legal drinking age would go a long way in addressing some of the negative effects binge drinking has on particularly our younger population.

But as with everything in South Africa, the enforcement of these proposals is where the challenge lies.

Alongside the age increase, the report also recommends restrictions on alcohol advertising and measures to limit the availability of alcohol, particularly in communities where alcohol outlets are densely concentrated.

While the intention is good, the ripple effect of banning alcohol sales to under-21s is surely going to be met with resistance from not only young people but hundreds of establishments that rely on the young crowds to survive. Consider for a moment how venues such as Bohemia and Aandklas in Stellenbosch will be affected if they cannot cater to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year students.

Arguments for the greater good are indeed valid, but raising the age limit is futile without measures in place to enforce and control access to alcohol. The lockdown didn’t stop people from finding booze and cigarettes, and neither did separate lodgings and church monitors stop us from getting frisky on ATKV camps. Youth will find a way.

But maybe it’s worth a try.

[source:businesstech]