The experts have no doubt. The government's proposal to amend the Law on Sobriety Education and Against Alcoholism in its current form will be ineffective due to the fact that it does not contain a key regulation – the ban on beer advertising.
After long months of interministerial consultations, a government task was yet presented, which would theoretically aim to reduce the negative impact of beer on society, especially on children and young people. However, it does not take into account the key request of doctors and representatives of NGOs. alternatively of abolishing the privileged position of beer, politicians decided only to make a fewer changes limiting the most blatant forms of alcohol promotion in public space, specified as alcotubes that caused controversy in September 2024. However, this seems to be just a tiny step, which in no way solves the problem, as highlighted by many experts.
Prof. Kozmiński: The decision-makers wanted to show that they are doing “something”
According to Dr. Krzysztof Kozmiński, prof. of the University of Warsaw, legal advisor and co-founder of Jabłoński Kozmiński, who prepared the legal study of the project, the fresh regulations do not truly make crucial changes and are inconsistent in many aspects. A detailed analysis can be found in the conversation “Why is the draft amendment to the Alcohol Act not prohibited from advertising beer?” published on the portal wellness policy.com. The expert describes the amendment as a powerless, and even a model, example of a misconception of anti-alcoholic policy. Why, then, did the rulers place on semi-measures that are improbable to have the desired effect on the country?
– This is simply a major weakness of the task – I have the impression that the decision-makers behind it wanted to show that they are doing something “something” in the area of the state's anti-alcoholic policy. But this “something” is not enough, just a cosmetic that does not satisfy anyone. I fishy the project's authors lacked courage. I fishy that the designer accepted (similar to the authors of the erstwhile regulation) that beer is the "less bad" (harmful) alcohol, due to the fact that it is low-interest or non-alcoholic at all. The problem is that, as abroad and global investigation besides show, specified an impression is not necessarily in line with the facts: sometimes seemingly innocent drugs are the starting point for another products, and its easier availability or another "relief" from the state promotes more frequent consumption, resulting in addiction and equally severe wellness consequences. Especially erstwhile the consumer consumes specified alcohol regularly," explained Prof. Krzysztof Kozmiński in an interview given to the editorial board wellness policy.com.
Advertising beer and social costs
The debate on the fresh regulations continues and their final form will be the consequence of public consultation and ruling decisions. However, there is no uncertainty that changes are essential if Poland intends to effectively reduce the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption and to guarantee the wellness of future generations. Moreover, this problem can besides be viewed from the point of view of state spending. The difference between the taxation revenues on alcohol and the estimated socio-economic costs amounts to over PLN 79.9 billion per year. These worrying calculations are confirmed by research, e.g. from 2020, which is cited by prof. Krzysztof Kozmiński. In another words, although the government receives respective billion zlotys from excise duties, at the same time it suffers almost 80 billion losses from alcohol consumption, mainly in the context of the burden on the wellness system. For this reason, it is hard to consider beer advertising as a desirable phenomenon, benefiting anyone, but brewers.
Source: taxpayer.info, wellness policy.com, atPoliticyka.pl
