Legislation on Consumption of Alcohol - Research Paper Example

Legislation on Consumption of Alcohol Introduction Advertising plays a major role in any marketing activity. In the case of alcohol, advertising not only plays a major role but also keeps the consumers psychologically locked in with alcohol so consumption increases to debilitating effects while the ideal is to keep alcohol consumption at low levels for the benefit of the individual as well as for society. Clearly, no nation can afford to make alcohol freely available because of its deleterious effects on health and loss of productive man-hours. That alcohol is harmful to health has been proven time and again and ongoing studies reveal nothing is good about alcohol which is the cause of breakdown of health and families (Public Health at a Glance – Alcohol, 2010). For sometime now, news has been doing the rounds about the benefits to the heart by moderate consumption of alcohol. Even if this is the case, consumption of alcohol is certainly harmful to the kidneys and liver. Hence, the total sum of the effects of alcohol is harmful even if consumed moderately owing to its negative impact on the kidneys and liver. Legislation on consumption of alcohol It is very important to have in place legislations to control consumption of liquor. Controls are particularly necessary in the promotional advertisements of alcohol. It is not possible to advertise alcohol as a beneficial product. On the contrary, it is necessary to advertise the ill-effects of alcohol in prominent places on the packages containing alcohol. Besides personal consumption, alcohol is used in medicines and industries. Hence, the uses of alcohol are manifold and it is not possible to outlaw alcohol. In certain countries like the Middle East, alcohol is legally banned. In other places where alcohol is available, it is made available with legal restrictions. In some places, alcohol is not available for those under 18 years or 21 years of age. Also, one cannot drive under the influence of liquor. The first visible sign of the harmful effects of alcohol must lead to discipline in the consumer’s life. Obesity, breathlessness, forgetfulness, and irritability are signs of certain illnesses associated with alcoholism. It is necessary to start taking disciplinary measures to condition the body effectively against possible ailments. Disciplinary measures may include dieting appropriately, exercising and limiting one’s alcohol intake drastically or stopping alcohol altogether. Breakdown in discipline affects other areas of a man’s life. It disturbs efficient way of working with due concentration. Alcohol breaks down the mental capacity of a person to think and act in the best possible manner. Besides this, alcohol has myriad effects on health. “Alcohol abuse contributes to a wide range of social and health problems, including depression, injuries, cancer, cirrhosis, dependence, family disruption and loss of work productivity. Health and social problems from drinking often affect others besides the drinker. While men do the bulk of the drinking worldwide, women disproportionately suffer the consequences, including alcohol-related domestic violence and reduced family budgets” (Public Health at a Glance – Alcohol, 2010). It is necessary to have a clear idea about alcohol so that its consumption is kept at the bare minimum. It is not possible to completely eradicate liquor. However, through education and appropriate awareness, it is possible to limit its intake to a great measure, thereby saving individuals from certain devastation and society from moral and economic deprivations (Alcohol Research and Public Health Policy, 1993). The need for legislative interference Legislation is necessary to curb nuisance arising out of drunkenness. Alcohol tends to men and women boisterous and even resort to unruly acts or violence. It is the state’s responsibility to restrain such individuals through laws. A drunken man can otherwise claim that he was not conscious about his actions while under the influence of liquor. The state has to impress upon individuals that they are responsible for their actions even if they may be unconscious of their actions. Repeated consumption of alcohol becomes a harmful habit. Legislations are made chiefly to restrict repeated alcoholic consumption. Repeated or habitual consumption is harmful to one’s health as well as to society at large. Consumption of liquor not only becomes a habit, it also becomes an addiction. It breaks down the lines of defense whereby the consumer goes into a free fall. Soon the habit has such an overwhelming influence over the addict that he begins to consume liquor for every little reason. This process involves a very small span of time. Alcohol restrictions’ procedures involve a number of governmental ministries. “Alcohol control efforts are often dispersed among Ministries, including Health, Social Welfare, Education, Traffic, Justice, Finance, Agriculture, Labor and Industry, Trade, and even Tourism and Culture and Sports without effective coordination. Furthermore, much of the responsibility for alcohol control is often provincial/regional or local, and coordination between levels of government is also often an issue. Religious and women's organizations, physician associations and other public health groups, NGOs, youth and other groups play key roles in some countries. Ministries of Finance and tax authorities are important because higher alcohol taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce use, while in most cases increasing government revenue. Other stakeholders include media, retailers, and sports groups (sponsorship)” (Public Health at a Glance – Alcohol, 2010). Crime and alcohol Consumption of alcohol is not only health problem for the individual consumer it is also a worrisome factor for society at large. By and large, people who consume liquor tend to become boisterous. They may act weirdly and make a scene. So long as such scenes do not create any harm there is no issue. However, there are many cases where consumption of alcohol has lead to criminal acts. People drink and get involved in fights. Or they may drink and drive, endangering lives and limbs of others on the road. These flagrant behaviors necessitate for governments to take preventive measures. The government has to make laws dealing with drunken misbehavior and also driving under the influence of liquor. Also, such behavior not only attracts governmental intervention but also brings into question corporate responsibility by the manufacturer and marketer of alcohol. Manufacturers and marketers of alcoholic beverages owe society the special responsibility of ensuring that their products do not disturb harmony in society and do not endanger the safety of any member of society including the spouse and children of the person consuming liquor. However, statistics dealing with drunken misbehaviors do not project manufacturers and marketers of alcoholic beverages as those acting under responsibility. This does not mean large scale crime or violence. I do not mean that those who drink liquor always break laws. However, the ratio of criminals acting under the influence of alcohol when compared to other criminal cases provides enough reasons to show that a lot of criminal activities take place as a result of liquor consumption. Crimes relating to alcohol consumption also extend to traffic accidents where drunken drivers have been causes for accidents due to impaired mental status. Driving requires a high degree of alertness which is missing in someone who has taken drinks (Wiklund, Nils and Lidberg, Lars; 2005). Thus, one major way of bringing down criminal activities and vehicular accidents is by maintaining strict vigilance against drunkenness. The scope of vigilance must extend to the liquor brand the offender consumed prior to the criminal activity or accident. This way the government can penalize even the particular manufacturer or marketer of the said liquor. Hence, there is every reason to indict alcohol consumption as one of the major causes for health defects and social evils. Consequently, it is necessary to penalize not only the direct offender but everyone including the manufacturer and marketer of the offending product. Domestic violence is the worst case of alcoholism. The biggest issue in domestic violence due to alcoholism is that majority of such violence do not get reported. The victimized families may prefer waiting for the alcoholic head of the house to reform until the problem has hit a point of no return. “In the majority of events when alcohol is consumed there is no sign of criminal or aggressive behavior. This clearly shows that alcohol in it self is not a sufficient causal factor for criminal behavior to occur (with the possible exception of "pathological intoxication"). Alcohol as a causal criminogenic factor requires an additional causal variable in the form of situational factors. "Frustration" is a general term for most situational factors that in combination with alcohol can result in crime. This frustration includes provocation, disappointments, misunderstandings, threats, etc” (Wiklund, Nils and Lidberg, Lars; 2005). When we deal with liquor we deal with a wide range of misbehavior ranging from petty disturbances to a whole range of situational factors. While we may not resort to blame fixing and witch hunting, we must squarely face the issue in its full ramifications. The responsibility must not end with punishing the offender alone. Go into the records of the manufacturers and marketers and see what they are doing to curb alcoholism. They may not be in a position to stop the offender from committing criminal acts. But they are certainly capable of urging consumers to desist from resorting to criminal activities and driving under the influence of liquor through the use of advertisements and the media. Governmental responsibilities The government is faced with tremendous responsibility to curb alcoholism. However, political will to restrict alcohol intake is largely missing in the corridors of power. The government prefers self-regulatory mechanism whereby manufacturers and marketers of alcohol also undertake to educate the public about the ill effects of consuming liquor. This approach, however, lacks the required enthusiasm by manufacturers and marketers as no corporation dealing in liquor would earnestly undertake large-scale program to curb liquor consumption. These corporations also oppose government plans to “create an independent national fund for projects aimed at combating alcohol problems” (Baggott, Rob; 2006). Understandably, the government’s prevarication is due to the demand for alcohol and the huge revenues it generates through various taxes on liquor. But the government is expected to act simultaneously to curb the negative after effects of alcohol. “Increased scrutiny on the part of the general public, media, and government has warranted a reexamination of corporate responsibilities, standards of accountability, the company's role in its local and extended community, and its ethical position in our society and culture. Corporate Social Responsibility and Alcohol considers the basic values, ethics, policies and practices of a company's business. Particular attention will be paid to the alcohol beverage industry, and the many unique issues that are specific to this business, such as: responsible marketing, promotional, and advertising campaigns and strategies; the particular risks inherent in any alcoholic product; issues of abuse prevention and education; research; and legal and ethical aspects of alcohol” (Grant, Marcus and O'Connor, Joyce; 2005). At any rate, the mechanism to have corporations curb liquor consumption will be a good idea only if the corporations show they are doing everything necessary to oversee such curbs. Audit reports of these corporations must show that they are involved in such curbs. Moreover, the corporations have agreed to provide greater freedom to a private fund in reducing alcohol intake. In the face of such activities and assurances the government must positively carry forward with measures that cut down dependence on alcohol. If alcoholism is a social problem, it must be faced with a social backdrop. Punishments and penalties have their limitations. A long term cure requires social care and human touch. People who are socially concerned must be allowed to handle cases of alcoholism. The government can make provisions that for a fund to take up these cases. The corporations could assist in financing such funds. However, the government and the corporations cannot concentrate on activities of these funds. Moreover, in the absence of clear guidelines on the modalities to curb liquor consumption it is difficult for any government-sponsored fund to diligently work towards result-oriented programs for reduction of alcohol consumption. The fund can make appropriate research and set guidelines on restricting alcohol. However, they are bound to have problem of manpower to handle personal cases. The approach to alcohol related crimes must be humane and empathetic. The punishment and penalties must be aimed at rehabilitation. Normally, people consume alcohol for entertainment. It is people who consume alcohol due to addiction who need rehabilitating. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have better resources and motivation to help addicts kick their habit. The government must rope in such NGOs in the rehabilitation programs. “The drinks industry has openly acknowledged that the production and sale of alcoholic drinks carries with it important social responsibilities. Adverse media coverage of binge drinking in recent years, and explicit commitments to corporate social responsibility across the sector, have motivated drinks companies and trade bodies to develop policies on alcohol misuse. The larger producers and retailers have been inspired particularly by a need to protect brand and corporate reputations. These companies have led the industry on social responsibility issues but they acknowledge that social responsibility must become more strongly embedded across the industry as a whole. “The industry is diverse and there are differences of view between various sectors (producers, retailers, on- and off-licence trade). However, these differences rarely become public, enabling the industry to provide a united front on alcohol misuse issues. Internally, the industry is quite critical of companies and trade bodies that 'break ranks'. “The industry is opposed to policies that seek to control overall levels of alcohol consumption. It rejects evidence linking levels of alcohol consumption to levels of harm. The industry's critics are concerned that it can discredit and resist public health interventions which threaten profitability, and believe that it has substantial political influence over policymakers” (Baggott, Rob; 2006). Corporations will never acknowledge that their alcoholic beverages are harmful to society. They are prone to hiding behind the contention that instances of criminal acts arising from alcohol consumption are stray cases. However, they must be made to pay for suits of compensation and other issues connected to the adverse affects of alcohol. The purposes of corporations manufacturing and marketing alcoholic beverages are diametrically opposite to the persuasions of an informed society. A society that is aware of the hazards of alcohol will not want alcohol to be produced. However, this is not the way the corporations see the problem. Getting corporations to restrict alcoholic intake quoting social responsibility, however, sounds far fetched. Corporations manufacture and market alcoholic beverages to aggressively sell them. These corporations, howsoever well intentioned, will not resort to any activities that will marginalize sales. They follow the dictates of competition where the balance sheet and the profit and loss accounts must show healthy figures. So, trying to involve corporations in curbing the alcohol menace may only provoke confrontations. The ideal action is to totally ban liquor. Do not allow manufacture, promotion or trading of any alcoholic beverage. Tighten laws making offences involving alcoholic beverages attract harsh penalties, even jail term. Governments have experimented with such methods to stop alcohol consumption. But the results have been counterproductive. No sooner such laws are passed, the underground market becomes active. Law enforcers are bribed, cajoled or even threatened. A lot of people are rounded up for breaking anti-liquor laws. There may be problems accommodating so many law-breakers in prisons. Basically, the problem is rooted in social imbalances. We live in an information age where achievements of high targets are intensely pursued. Long hours at work and minimal domestic life leave people with high salaries but low self worth and personal fulfillment. The addiction to solace providers like alcohol happen because people follow the system of high achievements without personal evaluations. Of course, there are people who follow the system and yet remain teetotalers. There is no hard and fast rule that liquor is the only solution to all who follow the system. However, the tendency to increased liquor consumption is found in places with intense turnover of target achievements without adequate time for healthy lifestyle. Manufactures and marketers of liquor will be hard pressed to find sales outlets at places where there are fewer parties, moderate industrial pressures, harmonious family relations, and greater personal fulfillments. However, these values are becoming scarce. Governments, on the other hand, want results and they want results quickly. If they find there is no remedy to curb alcoholism, they increase taxes on liquor to dissuade liquor consumption or resort to prohibition. Increasing taxes on liquor does have some effect. However, people change over to cheaper liquor. Ultimately, the government may not be left with any alternatives but impose prohibition. Wherever prohibition exists, there is a strong underground movement making available illegal liquor. Thus, prohibition laws do not work. The provision of prohibitory laws only leads to harassment of citizens. The best approach is to let a separate organization deal with alcohol consumption. This organization must be essentially educational and use persuasive means to curb liquor. At the macro level, this may mean using advertisements and the media to highlight the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. At the local level, it may mean networking with organizations like alcoholics anonymous to restrict alcohol consumption. Clean living programs “In the United States there have been three clean living or social reform movements. These movements occur roughly every 70 years. During the approximate 30 years of the reform phase of the cycle, opposition towards alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sexual related behaviors, certain foods and advocacy for exercise, pure water, vegetarian diets and the prevention and elimination of other health, social and environmental problems have been common. These cycles of reform generally wax and wane in reaction to perceived social problems. They may also occur due to stress from rapid urbanization and collective amnesia of past social events because of the death of the oldest generation. After the reform phase of the movement, which often results in government intervention to curtail use and take away freedom of choice, a backlash with increased use of the substances often occurs” (Engs, Ruth C; 1999). Any development that inhibits consumption of liquor must be welcomed. Responsible governments and societies do act on evils like excessive drinking periodically. These make their appearances and sober up individuals and societies. Such occurrences must be researched and encouraged. Societies that resolve on clean living programs also essentially follow proper working conditions and devote time to activities that enhance personal self-worth. Such activities may involve social causes or church activities or just about any program that raises individual feelings of personal accomplishment. There are organizations like the Alcoholic Anonymous and Moral Re-armament who have their own beneficial activities to curb or eradicate alcohol consumption. These organizations must be involved in any program that involves restrictions on alcohol consumption. The government must take active stand on working with such agencies instead of laying formulations like telling corporations to act with greater social responsibility. The corporations will not understand such formulations. Conclusion Governments as well as societies face difficult challenges such as controlling consumption of liquor. The debate on controlling liquor will continue because there are many reasons due to which sales of alcohol is on the rise. On the other hand, people and organizations keen on restricting alcohol consumption appear to be fighting a weary and losing battle. Consumption of liquor is not a recent phenomenon. People have been drinking since ancient times. However, the menace has increased to uncontrollable levels only now. This is an area where the government cannot afford to make mistakes. Sources: Alcohol Research and Public Health Policy, April 1993, http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa20.htm Baggott, Rob; 17 December 2006, Alcohol strategy and the drinks industry: a partnership for prevention? http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/alcohol-strategy-and-drinks-industry-partnership-prevention Dudley, Roger L; 1987, Religious Factors and Drug Usage among Seventh Day Adventist Youth in North America, http://www.jstor.org/pss/1385795 Engs, Ruth C; 18 October 1999. Has the American Clean Leaving (Anti-Alcohol) Movement Crested, http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/kb.html Grant, Marcus and O'Connor, Joyce; June 2005, Corporate Social Responsibility and Alcohol, http://www.addictionarena.com/corporate-social-responsibility-and-alcohol-9780415949484 Public Health at a Glance – Alcohol, 2010, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTHEALTHNUTRITIONANDPOPULATION/EXTPHAAG/0,,contentMDK:20588494~menuPK:1314860~pagePK:64229817~piPK:64229743~theSitePK:672263,00.html State Alcohol Advertising Laws: Current Status and Model Policies, 10 April 2003, http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/product.jsp?id=14131 Tether, Philip and Harrison, Larry; 2010, Alcohol policies: responsibilities and relationships in British Government, http://ideas.repec.org/p/chy/respap/5cheop.html Waller, Dr S et al; 2002, Prevention and reduction of alcohol misuse: review of reviews, http://www.nice.org.uk/niceMedia/documents/eb_summaryalcohol.pdf Wiklund, Nils and Lidberg, Lars; 20 September 2005, Alcohol and crime, http://www.rpkab.se/Alcoholandcrime.htm Read More