Belarus: Restricting of beer drinking in public places was suggested

A normative act restricting beer drinking in public places was proposed by the Belarusian Interior Ministry in a letter to the government, Interfax Information Services posted on June 13. According to the source, the move is aimed at prevention of alcohol addiction, primarily among young Belarusians.

"Analysis of the criminal situation proves alcohol reduces the level of public security. 75% of all wilLful homicides are committed under the influence," the ministry stressed. Currently, 224,000 Belarusians are registered on addiction lists, which is a record figure.

The ministry believes, unrestricted beer drinking contributes to the spread of alcohol addiction among the Belarusian population. Easy availability and moderate cost of beer have turned whole streets and blocks of Belarusian cities into pubs, the ministry noted. The source specified the Belarusian legislation classifies beer as a soft drink.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .