GAPA - APPEAL TO GLOBAL HEALTH
COMMUNITY
On October 8,
2012, thirteen of world’s largest alcohol producers issued a set of
commitments to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide. The
commitments were issued in support of the World Health Organization’s
(WHO) Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.
Prague Apartments (Denmark) - Thousands
Of Danish Youngsters Get Drunk And Destroy Apartments In Prague
Hot topic in
Czech! Media talk about young Danish students coming to Prague
because of cheap alcohol and accommodation. Up to 10 000 of young
Danes have already visited Prague this winter. However the goal of
their stay is not usually a sightseeing but partying, clubbing or
simply buying bottles of alcohol that is much cheaper in Czech
Republic than in Denmark.
YLE.fi (Finland) -
Brewers claim 'unprecedented' fall in Finnish alcohol sales
Sales figures from
the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry show a 7.4
percent fall in consumption of beers, ciders and other mid-strength
alcoholic beverages last year. Soft drink sales fell by 4.4 percent.
ERR News
(Estonia/Finland) - 65% of Finnish Personal Imports of Booze Come
from Estonia
Finns transported
7.7 million liters of alcohol to Finland from foreign countries in
2012 and 65 percent of the intoxicating liquid originated from
Estonia or from the ferries connecting the two countries.
BNN News (Latvia)
- Latvia prefers cheaper and stronger alcohol
Last year’s
excise tax revenue for alcoholic drinks, except beer, increased by
2.85 million LVL, compared to that of 2011, according to the data
from the State Revenue Service (SRS).
The Conversation
(Australia) - Social acceptance of alcohol allows us to ignore its
harms
Most of us forget
that alcohol is a drug so when asked to name drug-related problems,
we tend to think of illegal drugs such as cannabis or heroin. But
most of us drink, and drinking is an accompaniment to a growing array
of activities.
Radio Australia
(Australia) - Judge calls for action on alcohol violence
'epidemic”
NSW's top
magistrate calls for action to combat an "epidemic" of
alcohol-fuelled violence. New South Wales's most senior magistrate
has warned that alcohol-fuelled violence has reached "epidemic
proportions" and the community is "fed up" with the
perpetrators.
CarAdvice
(Australia) - Victoria to enforce alcohol interlocks for all drink
drivers: report
The Herald Sun
reports the Victorian State Government has begun drafting new
legislation that would require all drivers caught over the legal
blood-alcohol limit to have interlock devices fitted to their car to
deter them from reoffending.
Washington Times
(Egypt) - Egypt moves to ban alcohol sales
Egypt’s Islamic
government will no longer be issuing alcohol permits and will not
renew existing ones in certain areas of Cairo, Alexandria and other
major cities, an official has said.
RT (Russia) -
Alcohol production in Russia drops 30% in a year
An increase in tax
is being blamed for the drop in alcohol production in Russia.
According to Rosstat production of spirits has dropped by some 30% in
the last year, and some manufacturers have cut production by as much
as 80%.
Almonitor (Egypt)
- Turkey's Creeping Alcohol Ban Reaches New Heights
The neo-Islamist
Justice and Development Party (AKP) that has ruled Turkey for more
than 10 years, parallel to boosting its strength and effectiveness,
has for a while also been pursuing a multi-phase campaign to exclude
alcohol consumption from public life and make it invisible.
Irish Examiner
(Ireland) - FF: Govt not tackling cheap alcohol issue
In its pre-budget
submission, the party asked the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan
to include a 10% levy on alcohol sales in off-licences.
Foodprocessing
(Australia) - AMA calls for tighter alcohol regulation
The alcohol
industry’s self-regulation has failed, the Australian Medical
Association (AMA) has said, with the industry involved pushing to
“lure young people into early and potentially harmful drinking
patterns”. The AMA is calling on the federal government to launch
an inquiry into alcohol marketing to teenagers and young people.
Irish Independent
(Ireland) - Alcohol firms treat teens like beer mats, says bishop
TEENAGERS are
being used as "beer mats" by giant drinks firms through
their sponsorship of GAA, rugby and soccer, a bishop has claimed.
Irish Independent
(Ireland) - Bishops call for ban on alcohol sponsorships for all
youth events
Bishop Eamon Walsh
warned it was now time for Ireland to say "enough is enough"
in relation to alcohol addiction and the promotion of alcohol to
young people.
Independent Voter
Network (USA) - Big Alcohol Lobbying in California Raises Health
and Safety Concerns
Big Alcohol
lobbying in California made an impact during the 2011-2012
legislative session. Alcohol Justice, a self proclaimed industry
watchdog, released a report of Big Alcohol’s efforts in Sacramento.
Examiner.com (USA)
- Final ‘ObamaCare’ rules closing gaps, improving alcohol
treatment access in 2014
According to a
February 20 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) brief
on the Affordable Care Act – slangily called ObamaCare – the
nation is poised for the “largest expansion in substance use
disorder coverage in a generation.”
BBC News -
Gambling and alcohol addiction linked, report says
Gambling and
alcohol addiction share greater similarities than previously
realised, a new report claims.
News-Medical.net -
EASL unveils new publication - The burden of liver disease in
Europe
Major progress has
been made in the past 30 years in the knowledge and management of
liver disease, yet approximately 29 million Europeans still suffer
from a chronic liver condition.
Irish Independent
(Ireland) - Alcohol is now responsible for 25pc of all
drug-related deaths
DRUG-RELATED
deaths are continuing to fall with the biggest drop among heroin
users. But according to new figures, it was a legal drug – alcohol
– that was responsible for a quarter of all the deaths and
implicated in almost half of poisonings.
