Vodka sachets - Booze in bag will fuel our drink crisis

IT is the height of cynicism to suggest that selling vodka in a sachet will not lead to greater consumption of spirits among teenagers and make the problem of under-age drinking even worse.

It is equally disingenuous to pretend the controversial new drink product now being launched on the Irish market is not aimed at young people.

If anything it is verging on blatant hypocrisy given the loud warnings coming from vintners and Health Minister Micheál Martin, both cautioning that the easily concealed cellophane package containing a 30ml shot of vodka will intensify the booze problems confronting young people in Ireland.

Irish teenagers already top the league of the worst binge drinkers in Europe. And Mr Martin has made no bones about his concerns that the introduction of pocket-size pouches of alcohol will lead to a further deterioration in the country’s drink problems.

The public at large will share the minister’s fears that the new product line will result in even greater consumption of spirits among young people who are already mired in a crisis of under-age boozing. For one thing, it will be easier to hide a small sachet of alcohol.

The irony of the situation is that the man behind the venture is a doctor, an American GP who claims he introduced the product precisely because of his concerns about responsible drinking. Dismissing claims the product would promote drinking, Dr Joe Elias argues that his company is the first in Ireland to place significant warnings on the dangers of drinking.

According to his line of spin, the new easy to carry, easy to conceal sachets of vodka are aimed at adult drinkers and not at teenagers.

Be that as it may, vintners remain unconvinced. Reacting with commendable alacrity, Paul O’Grady, chairman of the Vintners Federation in Galway, has called on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to immediately introduce an order banning sales of the low cost ‘vodka in a sachet’ before it gets onto the shelves of off-licences around the country.

Appealing to the better judgement of other VFI members, he has urged them not to stock the sachets, the first in a planned series including white rum, gin, tequila and sambuca.

In common with other European countries, Ireland is cracking down on under-age drinking and strongly opposes the sale of ready-to-drink products.

Along with Germany, France, Switzerland and Norway, where the price of some products has doubled, the Coalition has taken steps to raise the tax on sales of sugary, pre-mixed cocktails, the so-called “alcopops”, the insidious precursors of drink problems for many.

Invariably, public outbursts against these products run the risk of giving companies so much publicity it verges on PR advertising. But when such potentially anti-social gimmicks are promoted as ‘smart’ and ‘sexy’, then it is time to draw a line in the sand.

Presumably, the idea of focusing on women drinkers, the alleged target of the launch, means that in future they will be able to carry booze around in their handbags, with all that implies.

One way or another, there are compelling arguments for bringing sales of drink-sachets under strict control. In the final analysis, if this controversial product cannot be banned, the solution may be to slap a heavy tax on sales in order to price it out of the reach of under-age drinkers.