Minister Proposes Setting Alcohol Drinking Age From 18 To 21 Years
The Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill was presented to Parliament on 14th November 2023 by the Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi, and the bill seeks to regulate the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic drinks among others.
Once assented too, the law will state the time of sale of Alcohol & deal with producers of illicit alcohol which is harmful to peoples lives among others.According to Hon Sarah Opendi.
The Minister of State for Primary Health Care,Hon Margaret Muhanga,has revealed that Uganda spends over US$677,490,337 (Shs2.654Trn) to treat alcohol related diseases in the country & called for the legal age for alcohol consumption increased from 18 to 21years.
The minister told Parliament that, ''The legal drinking age is a public health measure aimed at protecting young individuals from the potential harms associated with alcohol use during the critical period of development. The brain continues to develop throughout adolescence and into the early twenties. Exposure to alcohol drinking during this critical period can have lasting effects on cognitive function, memory and decision making. You know when most people are drunk, they make lame decisions which they may regret later. Setting the legal drinking age at 21 helps to minimize the impact of alcohol later on developing brains,"
However, consumers, consumers, traders and producers are worried about this bill noting that it is affecting the country negatively in terms of employment and revenue,
Uganda Manufacturers’ Association (UMA) and Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) have warned about the severe economic implications of Alcoholic Control Bill 2023, arguing that millions of jobs are at risk.
The Private Sector Foundation (PSFU) has also asked parliament to shift focus to address the underlying challenge of illicit alcohol that not only affects the health of consumers, but also deprives the government of billions in taxes lost.
According to them, the bill is an attack on thousands of Ugandans who are employed in the alcohol sector both directly and indirectly, hence affecting over 300,000 livelihoods.
Section 14(1) of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023 stipulates that a licensee shall not sell an alcoholic drink or native liquor before 17:00 hours and after 22:00 hours on working days and 12:00 hours and after 00:00 hours on public holidays and weekends.
“The bill is an attack on these jobs. This includes the entire value chain manufacturers, grain farmers, Distributors, Bars, and clubs. Bars in Uganda directly employ approximately 150,000 locals not counting the chefs in the prime bars, artists, comedians, boda boda cyclists who transport people, the people who sell foodstuff near the bars during late night hours, those who sell water, and many other businesses,” said Dr Ezra Rubanda, the UMA Executive Director.
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