Irish policy makers are reluctant to act on Ireland’s collective alcohol-problem as they think the public want to be allowed drink at will.
It seems the powers-that-be are not convinced that tougher alcohol control measures are consistent with the ‘national mood’, according to new research by Professor Shane Butler, associate professor in social work at Trinity College Dublin.
Butler has written a paper entitled ‘Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Bill: Policy Window or Political Sop?’, the key theme of which is that as much as our representatives talk tough about curbing alcohol use (and abuse) in Ireland, the facts suggest nothing effective has been done because politicians don’t think the public are ready to change.
The study suggests that for the last 30 years in Ireland public health experts have repeatedly told policy-makers that ‘liberal’ approaches to alcohol control, such as awareness campaigns, are relatively ineffective.
According to Butler, if a government really intends to tackle an issue it should:
"implement measures to make alcohol more expensive, less accessible at retail level, and less normalised culturally through advertising, promotion, and marketing."
Source: Cianan Brennan, thejournal.ie, 25/04/15
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
