Israel tackles alcohol ‘epidemic’

The Government of Israel has begun to implement measures to combat a growing alcohol problem, especially among young people. The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a cabinet meeting. Mr Netanyahu said:

“We face an epidemic. In the last three years there has been a 15% rise in alcohol use in Israel. Onethird of all young people between the ages of 12-18 reported that they became intoxicated in the past year, which is a terrible statistic. Here is another statistic: Approximately 20% of sixth grade boys claim that they consume an alcoholic drink once a week. That is the second highest in Europe.

We must act against this. We will take three immediate steps: one, we are initiating a legislative change to restrict the sale of alcohol to minors, expand the ban on alcohol use, and seriously increase the penalty for those who break the law in this respect. Second, we will increase enforcement of the prohibition against alcohol sales in many places. Third, we intend to create a public atmosphere which is against alcohol use, especially amongst youth, by means of various public educational activities. To this end, we will today allocate NIS 27 million for their immediate start.

I think that we face a turning point on this subject. Other countries took action and were successful. We are learning from them. The most important thing is to act, to act aggressively, and immediately - and this is what the Government will do.”

One of the first measures to be introduced was a ban on sales of alcohol between 11pm and 7am, with police allowed to confiscate alcohol in public places during the hours it cannot legally be sold. Other measures under consideration by the government are a ban on alcohol advertising, raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, and raising the prices of alcoholic beverages.