Putting public health first

Michael Conaghan, Lord Mayor of Dublin, started it. Taking his role as first citizen of Dublin seriously, and anxious that Dubliners would have a more enjoyable St Patrick's Day this year than over the last two years, he suggested that off-licences in the capital stay closed until 6pm on the big day. It was a modest request and would have effectively met its objective of giving us a more pleasant atmosphere in the city centre for the festivities. He was supported by a wide variety of groups and, if his request was put to the people, I believe a large majority would have agreed. He met the representatives of the off-licences and formally asked them to forgo some profits in the interests of the public. No, they said. End of story!

 

The off-licence lobby say that public drinking is not their problem; it is a matter for the Garda.The drinks industry says that it is a matter of parental control – it's not the drink, it's the drinker. Pontius Pilate is alive and well in Ireland's 21st century drinks industry. One can see why the industry is fighting tooth and nail to cling to self regulation. It makes it easy for them to resist effective actions geared towards the common good. Off-licences are a particular problem. During the deliberations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol it was suggested that a traceability mechanism be put in place so that the cans that youngsters were drinking in fields were traceable to the off-licence of purchase. This suggestion came to nothing but is still worth pursuing.

The industry continues to speak out of both sides of its mouth. It spends millions, successfully persuading us and our children to drink more alcohol than ever before. It exhorts us, in undisguised promotions, to enjoy its products sensibly. When did you ever see a Diageo executive when its products are being consumed in a fashion that is not sensible. The profit on the tenth pint is the same as the profit on the first – the marketing men of the industry know that. Asking a drinks industry executive to take a decision that will have a detrimental effect on the company bottom line is futile. It is like asking a fox to stop killing chickens – it cannot be done.

A more insidious tactic being employed by the globalised alcohol industry is the setting up of a series of what they term "social aspects" organisations. These are meant to be the socially responsible side of the industry, keeping the industry bad boys in check. In Ireland the "social aspects" organisation is Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society (MEAS). Like Ali G, MEAS is big on respect. MEAS was set up in 2002. Initially, the advert for the CEO of MEAS stated that MEAS stood for Managing the Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society. That must have seemed too manipulative; it has mutated into Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society. MEAS and its sister "social aspects" organisations in other countries promote industry self-regulation. It is not unreasonable to describe MEAS as an organisation that is there to Minimise Effective Action by the State.

Is it worth getting steamed up about the antics of the industry? It certainly is. Not to do so will condemn us and the next generation to major social and health consequences. To confront the industry is to reclaim the primacy of politics from free marketeers who seek to buy, successfully so far in our country, commercial advantage.

The evidence to date is that our version of industry self regulation has been disastrous, particularly for our under 18s. Alcohol is consumed on a regular basis by about 40 per cent of 16 year olds. We are the only country where more girls than boys report regular use of alcohol. Nearly one in three of our 16 year olds have been drunk 10 or more times during the last 12 month period – the second highest in Europe. Irish 16 year olds are the most frequent binge drinkers in Europe.

It is a matter for Government if these trends are to be reversed. To date it seems the Minister for Justice is going to crack down on offenders, he will need an awful lot of juvenile detention places if he follows through the logic of his public utterances. Expecting gardaí to enforce the law is not a reasonable proposition, they would have time for nothing else if they tackled the alcohol issue. The only hope is to take a public health and safety approach where preventive action is taken. Which brings us back to the Lord Mayor...

Dr Joe Barry is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Trinity College Dublin and a member of Strategic Task Force on Alcohol

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