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Government 'demonises' young drinkers



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Published Date: 18 August 2008
THE Scottish Government is being accused of "demonising" 18 to 20-year-olds in its plans to raise the drinking age.
An Edinburgh MSP is calling for the Scottish Government to crack down on alcohol sales to under-18s rather than raise the off-sales age limit.

Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh West Margaret Smith has urged the Scottish Government to focus on prosecuting retailers who sell alcohol to under-18s after official figures showed liquor licensing offences soared by 40 per cent last year.

The most common offence was selling alcohol to under-18s.

The Lib Dems believe that if current laws are enforced, there is no need to raise the drinking age for off-sales. Mrs Smith said: "Ministers should focus on ensuring that the current drinking age is enforced rather than pursuing an alcohol policy that will demonise all 18 to 20-year-olds as irresponsible drinkers."





The full article contains 154 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 18 August 2008 11:28 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 18/08/2008 13:39:43
None of this will happen in any case. It was one of MacAskill's stupid brainwaves. Hopefully Alex Salmond has told him to shut his stupid mouth after his latest fiasco regarding the sale of knives.

The man belongs in a lunatic asylum, not a government.
2

Charles Linskaill,

Got a sore tooth got no dentist 18/08/2008 17:22:17

"Demonising" it most certainaly is!

And this proposed control freak nonsense, would not for one minute have any effect on the 18 to 20year olds obtaining the booze, infact if I was in this age group, it would make me all the more determined to be a rebel and get as much booze as I could!

LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!
3

Voldemort,

Edinburgh 19/08/2008 00:55:50
Folk have just got the totally wrong end of the double edged fish with drinking ...

You have got to take the problem as a skeleton then add bones to it - but .. you have to remember it's softly, softly catchy monkey however you have to be careful the monkey doesn't jump over your head and bite your horse's backside !

There's no doubt about it - it's a tough question so you've got to think about it with two hats on. So before we enter Pandora's box you've got to learn how to tap dance ..

I hope that makes the matter perfectly clear !
4

Ctebe,

Edinburgh 19/08/2008 09:33:46
The usual thing: passing more laws rather than enforcing perfectly good (for some values of, anyway) existing ones. Couldn't possibly be anything to do with headline grabbing, now, could it?

About time someone did a "sort -u" on the law books!
5

Jock's Away,

Africa 19/08/2008 10:35:30
Don't these people have any sense of balance. If at the age of 18 a body can fight and die for his/her country then Alcohol is there's by right, having fought for it.
Like a great number of these "solutions" being put forward by the semi educated in offices of power (and I don't mean a tick the box degree,) the ability to think and come up with anything more than a two dimensional solution is completely beyond them.
Having failed encourage and ensure a life structure unit, a stable family, to educate, guide and channel the young from birth to the "danger ages" the answer is to penalised the same that know no other way.
Politicians care like about the unintended consequence and more about the next election. Life is multi dimesional therefore solutions need to be the same.

 

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