Government must have bottle to take on drink lobby

Diageo-funded campaign should be wound up and legislators need, for once, to put health of citizens ahead of interests of drinks industry, says James Doorley.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill currently before the Oireachtas represents the best chance in a generation to address alcohol-related harm in Ireland. The draft legislation is far from perfect but the proposals to address price, availability and advertising will, if implemented, reduce misuse in Ireland. The National Substance Misuse Strategy Group on which I represented the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) recommended these measures. We did so because the international and independent evidence demonstrates that they work.

Our primary concern is for the health and well-being of children and young people. We are concerned at the data showing they are beginning to start drinking at a younger age, are drinking significant volumes of alcohol and are drinking more frequently.