Doctors seek ban to remove alcohol from shelves

MIN2511

Just came across this, like wtf?


http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0218/breaking13.htm

Doctors have called for a ban on the sale of drink in supermarkets, small shops and petrol stations.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said licences allowing the sale of alcohol in these shops should be phased out.
The group said that Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan had "correctly identified the off licence sector as the major source of our continuing alcohol problem".
"Attempts at a voluntary code have rightly been seen as a futile exercise", said former IMO president Prof Joe Barry.
"Increasing concerns about home drinking have their root in the manner in which supermarkets in particular have marketed alcohol over the past number of years," he added.
He said "profit-seeking behaviour" by supermarkets had taken no account of the health and social consequences of drinking alcohol.
"Off-trade sales should be through specialist off-licences, where issues such as staff training and responsible server programmes, as advocated by the Government's Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, would have more effect."
This afternoon the Minister refused to comment specifically about the IMO proposal saying he would "look at all proposals submitted to the task force".

Dennis the Stone

Brian Lenihan needs to relax and have five or six drinks

Mr.Micro

Thats an odd request from Doctors, cos as we all know they are renowned for being very fond of the booze. Perhaps their supplies are running low.

monkeyfudge

The amount of booze sold in petrol stations does look a bit odd to me though.

Boggles

The group said that Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan had "correctly identified the off licence sector as the major source of our continuing alcohol problem".

Brian you Genius you have correctly identified where alcohol comes from!

is_that_so

I think it's more aimed at the attitude of supermarkets and other outlets. Easy access day and night to relatively cheap gargle helps build a habit.

Boggles

is_that_so wrote: »

I think it's more aimed at the attitude of supermarkets and other outlets. Easy access day and night to relatively cheap gargle helps build a habit.

Relative to Robbery!

is_that_so

Boggles wrote: »

Relative to Robbery!

Give it up so.

Dragan

If someone wants to drink themselves to death then let them.

I'm sick of all this happy hand holding bull****.

Boggles

is_that_so wrote: »

Give it up so.

Not on your Nelly.

Degsy

If booze was ten quid a can people would buy it,if it was only sold in specialist shops there'd be queues stretching for miles 24 hours a day.If they banned it altogether the ensuing criminal turf wars would make the cocaine epedemic look like the sermon on the mount.We like to drink,thats why we drink.More people are buying booze and drinking it at home because greedy publicans are pricing themselves out of the market.

nikki 122

Boggles wrote: »

The group said that Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan had "correctly identified the off licence sector as the major source of our continuing alcohol problem".

Brian you Genius you have correctly identified where alcohol comes from!

ha ha ur right there he does not seem 2 smart!!!!

Ross_Mahon

Do they have nothing against smokes being sold in garages? Thats bad to your health

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

slipss

I think it's a good idea, they should do the same with tobacco, limit its sale to specialised tobacco shops, then legalised cannabis, mdma, cocaine, heroin ect and allow there sale through specialised retailers, then update the garda ID to include a metalic swipe and make it so that anyone that wants to purchase any of these drugs can only do so by swiping one of these cards at the time of purchase.

MIN2511

Then they can castrate us as well, thats a whole lot of bollocks. It's amazing how we vote them in and yet they want to reduce us to mad lunatics...
What next?

zuutroy

What a load of bollocks...They have have beer in the canteen fridge where I work, and yet somehow everyone's working at 4:45pm and not singing and smashing each others faces in. Its not availability, its people's attitudes that need sorting out.

ArmaniJeanss

The Scientist wrote: »

We should be allowed drink where and when we want.

I agree. Yesterday they asked me and my mates to leave church just for drinking flagons of cider. :mad:

Rob_l

Dragan wrote: »

If someone wants to drink themselves to death then let them.

I'm sick of all this happy hand holding bull****.

I agree and hold the same principle for drugs

Stop the nanny state before it gets worse

Dord

slipss wrote: »

I think it's a good idea, they should do the same with tobacco, limit its sale to specialised tobacco shops, then legalised cannabis, mdma, cocaine, heroin ect and allow there sale through specialised retailers, then update the garda ID to include a metalic swipe and make it so that anyone that wants to purchase any of these drugs can only do so by swiping one of these cards at the time of purchase.

:rolleyes:



I think it's a load of b0ll0x! I wonder if the Vintners Association is paying them to say that.

buckfast4me

I agree with the fine minister, off licenses selling alcohol - disgraceful. What next. Supermarkets selling groceries and bookshops selling books. terrible altogether.

Hoochiemama

I wish these people would open their eyes and really look at whats happening. Has the world not learned from America in the 1920's??? Prohibition does NOT work.

PS - buckfast4me - love the name!!! Buckfast for me please!

slipss

Joe Robot wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Good argument, well thought out and considered, although it seems suspiciously familiar, wasn't that published as part of a multi-million euro UN report on the topic of drug control?

slipss

Ohh I almost forgot, I couldn't think of anything else relevant to say so :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Hoochiemama

slipss wrote: »

I think it's a good idea, they should do the same with tobacco, limit its sale to specialised tobacco shops, then legalised cannabis, mdma, cocaine, heroin ect and allow there sale through specialised retailers, then update the garda ID to include a metalic swipe and make it so that anyone that wants to purchase any of these drugs can only do so by swiping one of these cards at the time of purchase.

As good a system as that would be it will never happen, in our lifetime at least.

Did anyone watch that documentary last week about the top 20 most dangerous drugs?? Alcohol was 5th - thats higher that tobacco, cannabis, ecstacy & LSD and was said to be kill more people that all these drugs combined per year

Jay P

Rubbish! We'll still get drink in the off licences. As all teenagers do, just get someone to go in, and hang around smokin a fag with your hood up :cool: happy days.

Wait a minute, I only ever get drink in an off licence, or my parents drink cabinet. What the shell will this achieve?

Boggles

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I agree. Yesterday they asked me and my mates to leave church just for drinking flagons of cider. :mad:

Well they started it, knocking back that cheap wine!!

5starpool

I'm sure the VFI are fully behind this drive 'for the youth of ireland' of course.

Rb

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if these doctors were involved financially in the "specialist offlicences".

As someone else said, it's not the availability that's the problem, it's the mentality/attitude. We've adults here who still act like 15 year olds with regards to binge drinking.

I personally don't really care, as I don't drink that much, but it's the fact that they're trying control us that pisses me off.

Also, Brian Lenihan is an absolute retard, sad to say that even McDowell was a huge amount better.

Fighting Irish

Its bull****, we all suffer because some people are stupid and can't handle being senseible(sp?)

As i've said before we're all being pussified

_Kaiser_

The reason this is coming up recently is the publicans/off-licenses are pissed because the chain stores are undercutting their prices by a significant margin and they're losing money as a result.

So rather than compete, what do they do? Complain and attempt to have it banned in all other outlets except their own. It's the same as HMV and the rest complaining about people buying DVD's online.

Make no mistake, this is all about money.

bronte

5starpool wrote: »

I'm sure the VFI are fully behind this drive 'for the youth of ireland' of course.

Agreed, that was the first thing that went through my head when I heard this.

Pherekydes

is_that_so wrote: »

I think it's more aimed at the attitude of supermarkets and other outlets. Easy access day and night to relatively cheap gargle helps build a habit.

France has much cheaper alcohol available in its supermarkets but it doesn't have any such drink problem.

So the problem is not easy access or cheap alcohol. It's to do with the culture of binge drinking in this country and next door.

AngryBadger

More nanny-state crap-arama.

As has been said, the vintners are losing a tonne of money to retailers, theyt've been kicking up a storm about this for weeks now.No surprise here so.

subway

prohibition worked very well in the US in the 30s,
it has also helped eradicate cocaine, heroin and most of all cannabis usage.

i think this is a wonderful idea and will surely not lead to people simply getting there drink somewhere else...

Wertz

Protectionist move from vintners since the groceries act and smoking ban pulled the rug out from under them. This isn't about mine or your health....it's all about profit margins or lack thereof...

Anyone hear the proposal on the Last Word last week for "credit" cards that a user would need to purchase a set amount of alcohol? The idea was basically that everyone had a unit allowance; when you bought drink the card would be swiped (like slipss' system) and when you used up your allowance, that was it, no more drink thill next day....I mean they propose pie in the sky sh*t like this and they can't even organise a proper national ID card system.

Boggles

Wertz wrote: »

Protectionist move from vintners since the groceries act and smoking ban pulled the rug out from under them. This isn't about mine or your health....it's all about profit margins or lack thereof...

Anyone hear the proposal on the Last Word last week for "credit" cards that a user would need to purchase a set amount of alcohol? The idea was basically that everyone had a unit allowance; when you bought drink the card would be swiped (like slipss' system) and when you used up your allowance, that was it, no more drink thill next day....I mean they propose pie in the sky sh*t like this and they can't even organise a proper national ID card system.

My God!! Can you put 3 cans on this card, 2 cans on this card, how many points is a bottle of bucky?

What genius had that idea?

Sam Vimes

i agree with the doctors but i think we should go even further and ban alcohol altogether. we banned cocaine and nobody does that anymore

Hoochiemama

Sam Vimes wrote: »

i agree with the doctors but i think we should go even further and ban alcohol altogether. we banned cocaine and nobody does that anymore

How wrong are you??? Cocaine is rampant in Ireland, Rampant with a capital R!!!! As is ecstasy cannabis and to some extent heroin.

Banning drugs is only trying to hide the problem.

Completely banning alcohol would cause uproar and drive it underground so along with all other banned substances you'll have to go to a dealer to get it which, mark my word, people would do and you'd be paying extortionates amount of money for p*ss poor beer.

Boggles

Hoochiemama wrote: »

How wrong are you??? Cocaine is rampant in Ireland, Rampant with a capital R!!!! As is ecstasy cannabis and to some extent heroin.

Banning drugs is only trying to hide the problem.

Completely banning alcohol would cause uproar and drive it underground so along with all other banned substances you'll have to go to a dealer to get it which, mark my word, people would do and you'd be paying extortionates amount of money for p*ss poor beer.

Oh Dear!

grumpytrousers

Hoochiemama wrote: »

How wrong are you??? Cocaine is rampant in Ireland, Rampant with a capital R!!!! As is ecstasy cannabis and to some extent heroin.

Banning drugs is only trying to hide the problem.

Completely banning alcohol would cause uproar and drive it underground so along with all other banned substances you'll have to go to a dealer to get it which, mark my word, people would do and you'd be paying extortionates amount of money for p*ss poor beer.

*taps sarcasm-detection-ometer*

Davidius

Seeing as it's against the law to advertise cigarettes, they should really get around to doing the same for the old poison alcohol. Yup.

Boggles

Good point, not only have they banned adverts of the old smokes, they also put up anti adverts, sqeezing the tar out of a lung and all that. How come they don't have video of a pickled liver???

They do have the adds of the fella acting the gimp in the pub falling around the place, but he is an arssehole, it is more an anti arsshole add than anti drinking.

Sam Vimes

Hoochiemama wrote: »

How wrong are you??? Cocaine is rampant in Ireland, Rampant with a capital R!!!! As is ecstasy cannabis and to some extent heroin.

emmmmmmmmm.....

Dennis the Stone

They do have the adds of the fella acting the gimp in the pub falling around the place, but he is an arssehole, it is more an anti arsshole add than anti drinking.

that's a good point, it's really patronising to be told the whole time that drinking a bit too much turns you into an arsewipe. Only some people.

4Xcut

As was stated before, its not easy access, its the mentality. People will drink if they want to. However, there is a lack of responsibility in pubs/nightclubs. There was a time when a publican would say to someone when they had enough. Now i'm not suggesting that we allow publicans to police alcohol consumption but if someone can barely see and stand, i think its time they had a glass of water.

But, banning alcohol is a stupid idea. It won't remove it and it is a violation of personal liberty. But more importantly, we may as well let stupid people drink themselves to death and out of the gene pool before they have a chance to breed.:D

2tel1

It's the idiot who can't handle their drink

'Ol Jack Chance

I agree with above posters that its a mentality thing not where the booze is sold/marketed. On a side note if i were a coke head id defo stop doing it after seeing them new government adverts. :rolleyes: careful now!

Sleepy

Yup, first thought that went through my head was 'did the Vintners pay for this?' too...

The sheer idiocy of this makes the mind boggle.

Random

This is a fantastic idea.

I would definitly ban drink advertising. It's driving the price of alcohol up having to advertise it. I know it's there. I'll come get it. Don't you worry about your ads.

As for Vimes and Cocainne .. are you crazy man? Have you not heard about this countrys drug problem?

Wertz

Boggles wrote: »

My God!! Can you put 3 cans on this card, 2 cans on this card, how many points is a bottle of bucky?

What genius had that idea?

I only caught the middle and end...I don't think it was a politician, probably someone from the alcohol equivalent of ASH. I don't know how some of these people get airtime.
Imagine the trade in unused points or people getting mugged for their swipe card. I'd say it'll stay imagination.



*passes out batteries for Sarcasm-o-meters*