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.
