Ireland to introduce new legislation on alcohol

Ireland will introduce new legislation on alcohol to tackle the country's ongoing problem with alcohol misuse and reduce consumption, the government said on Wednesday.

The government hopes the new legislation will be approved by parliament by the middle of next year.

The new legislation treats alcohol misuse as a public health issue for the first time and aims to reduce the damage that alcohol causes to individuals and to society, it said, adding that its goal is to reduce average annual alcohol consumption in Ireland from 11 to 9.1 litres per person by 2020.

Irish Health Minister Leo Varadkar said Ireland needs to change its damaging attitude to alcohol.

"There's a huge difference between having a drink on occasion with friends, and indulging in regular binge drinking," he said.

"The costs are huge: from the damage to personal health and to society, absenteeism, the burden placed on the health services, public disorder and violence, traffic accidents, and the associated mental health consequences," he added.

The Irish minister said the evidence about the country's drinking habits is shocking.

Four out of ten drinkers typically engage in binge drinking, he said.

Under the legislation, the minimum pricing rate for alcohol will be 10 cents per gram of alcohol.

The legislation also plans to ban the advertising of alcohol products near schools, playgrounds and public transport.

The advertising, sponsorship and marketing of alcohol products will be subject to prosecutions under the criminal justice system for the first time, according to the legislation.

It also said the glamorising of alcohol, or making it appealing to children, would be prohibited.

Warnings about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption in general and during pregnancy will be included in advertisements, it added.

It is also proposed that a 9 p.m. broadcasting watershed will be put in place for advertisements for alcohol. Enditem