Italy introduces new measures to reduce consumption among youths

Parents whose children are caught in possession of alcohol or drinking in public will get a fine of up to €900 under an emergency law designed to reduce binge drinking in Italy.

As it announced the move, Milan city council revealed that 34 per cent of 11-year-olds in the city had “problems with alcohol”. This is the first of its kind in Italy.

Letizia Moratti, the centre-right Mayor of Milan, said that “this is not a punitive measure,” but “a message to young people and their families that alcohol is bad for you and that alcohol abuse and dependence lead to negative consequences.”

An Italian law already bans the sale of alcohol to those under 16 in bars and discos but it is poorly enforced.

The Health Ministry said that most Italians had their first encounter with alcohol at the age of 12, two to three years earlier than in most European countries.

A sixth of hospital admissions for alcohol abuse involved youngsters under 14.

Six out of ten young Italians told pollsters that they set out to “drink themselves into a stupor”.

Bars frequented by young people, especially in northern regions such as Lombardy and Piedmont, have begun to serve drinks such as wine spritzers laced with vodka or other spirits. T

he new regulation came into force on 20 July for a trial period of 120 days.

The fine, which increases to €500 if not paid within five days, also applies to suppliers of alcohol to children.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, encouraged other cities to follow the “excellent example” of Milan.

The Pope, on holiday in the Italian Alps, urged young people to “overcome the temptation of an easy and illusory life”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6719699.ece