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Alcohol In Our Lives - Curbing the Harm, Final Report from law Commission

» 20/05/2010, Posted by Diana Beattie


'Alcohol In Our Lives: Curbing the Harm' is the Law Commission's final report on the review of New Zealand's liquor laws. The terms of reference for the review required the Commission to consider a broad range of issues, including the adequacy of the current liquor licensing laws; alcohol taxation and pricing; advertising; age restrictions and the responsibilities of parents with respect to adolescent drinking. The report contains 153 recommendations to Government.

The report proposes an integrated package of policies, the key elements of which are:
- a new Alcohol Harm Reduction Act to replace the Sale of Liquor Act 1989;
- increasing the price of alcohol through excise tax increases in order to reduce consumption;
- regulating promotions that encourage increased consumption or purchase of alcohol;
- moving, over time, to regulate alcohol advertising and sponsorship;
- increasing the purchase age for alcohol to 20 years;
- strengthening the responsibility of parents supplying alcohol to minors;
- increasing personal responsibility for unacceptable or harmful behaviours induced by alcohol;
- cutting back the hours licensed premises are open;
- introducing new grounds upon which licences to sell alcohol can be declined;
- allowing more local input into licensing decisions through local alcohol policies and District Licensing Committees (the bodies we are recommending replace District Licensing Agencies);
- streamlining the enforcement of the alcohol laws and placing the overall decision-making in a new Alcohol Regulatory Authority (building on the existing Liquor Licensing Authority) presided over by District Court judges especially selected for the task; and
- a substantially improved and reorganised system for the treatment of people with alcohol problems.

The full report (and a summary extract of the report findings) can be downloaded from the Law Commission website at
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/ProjectReport.aspx?ProjectID=154