Colombo closes liquor shops for a day. But programmes are needed

Faced with 22,000 deaths a year linked to alcohol consumption, the Sri Lankan government has made a symbolic gesture on World Temperance Day. Former alcoholic entrepreneurs tell AsiaNews: "A scourge that leaves the poorest defenceless. Politicians must choose whether they want the revenue from excise duties or these victims."

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Sri Lanka also celebrated World Temperance Day yesterday, 3 October, established by the World Health Organisation in 1988 to focus attention on the effects of alcohol on health and society. Every year, there are still around 22,000 deaths in the country linked to alcohol consumption.

This anniversary is always an opportunity for a series of nationwide programmes to educate communities about the risks associated with this social scourge.

According to Dr Ananda Ratnayake, chairman of the National Tobacco and Alcohol Authority, 21% of Sri Lanka's population consumes alcohol, a percentage that continues to be a major public health concern.

For this reason, the Sri Lankan Excise Department has decided to close all wine and spirits shops from the evening of 2 October until the morning of 4 October to mark World Temperance Day. However, many believe that limiting alcohol consumption requires more than just one awareness day a year.

‘Under good government supervision, there should be a concrete state programme to keep liquor lovers away from liquor stores,’ say some citizens.

People like Methsiri Cooray, Kanchan Silva and Roxy Rowel, former entrepreneurs addicted to alcohol, told AsiaNews that ‘you cannot achieve both temperance in consumption and increased tax revenue from alcohol sales.’

‘The government should take the initiative to close all liquor stores to save the lives of the poor,’ they add. ‘Because rich people know how to drink without damaging their lives. But middle-class people don't, and they're not even rich enough to afford more expensive alcohol. We need a new path,’ conclude Methsiri Coray and Roxy Royal, ‘to ensure that neither the rich nor the poor will pursue alcohol anymore, and that their lives will be safe.’