999! I’ve fallen off a car park

With people like this guy around, those people working in the licensed retail sector who face ever increasing regulation and pressure from local authorities to restrict their business activities because of the effects of binge drinking, are fighting a losing battle.

If ever there was an argument for releasing some of the shackles of licensing legislation on retailers and developing a licence for consumers this is it. Is the problem really the alcohol retailer or the guy whose excessive consumption leads him to waste so much of the emergency services time through sheer stupidity.

Wouldn’t it be great if the vast majority of alcohol consumers who do so responsibly, were not subject to the restrictions of the irresponsible minority. You need a licence to drive a car, imagine if you had to have a licence to drink alcohol, one which could be suspended if you behaved in this way?

I’m not seriously advocating the issuing of alcohol licences which allow individuals to consume alcohol, but sometimes the balanced needs to be redressed. The problems associated with alcohol related crime and disorder should not all be laid at the feet of the alcohol retailer, the solutions need to be more wide ranging.

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Source – Metro

Date – 23rd February 2010