‘Review liquor laws’

THE Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) on Monday said there is a need to comprehensively review laws relating to the use and regulation of alcohol in the country.
This was one of the recommendations made this year by the commission during one of its recent initial review projects on alcohol and substance abuse.
CLRC researcher Mary Fairio told participants at the Health Department’s alcohol policy seminar yesterday that the laws relating to alcohol and illicit drugs were no longer relevant to the changes in society today as they were put in place back in the 1970s and 1990s.
The CLRC highlighted yesterday in its presentation that while it had initiated a research project on alcohol and drugs to understand the issue better, nothing conclusive had been forthcoming due to lack of accurate and reliable information.
It said some organisations it contacted took time to get back with relevant information while others did not want to release information due to confidentiality.
There were also funding constraints and the lack of articulate and confident research assistants, CLRC said.
“At this stage we cannot make any conclusive statement either way because the research is still ongoing,” Ms Fairio said.
Despite this, the commission also planned to carry out immediate extensive surveys on alcohol and drug abuse and will begin with the National Capital District next year.
The CLRC will also undertake regional consultations and future surveys on alcohol abuse throughout the country.