New rules for young Danes’ drinking

Too much booze and too many pills. The habits of young Danes are harmful and now the government is introducing a series of new rules to reduce drinking.

In addition, they want to limit young people’s access to nicotine.

Danish young people drink the most in Europe, but now their purchases of wine and alcohol shots are to end.

– We can state that children and young people start drinking too early, and they drink too much, says Minister of Health Sophie Løhde (Venstre) at a press conference.

Therefore, the limit for what a 16-year-old can buy must be lowered from 16.5 to 6 percent alcohol volume. They can therefore continue to buy beer and soft drinks, but no longer nicotine.

The price of a can of snus is being increased sharply, and tobacco and other nicotine products may no longer be sold to minors.

Broad settlement

Behind the proposal is a broad majority in the Norwegian Parliament, which invests half a billion Danish kroner on information and about 30 initiatives against young people’s drinking. The investment will primarily be paid for by the increased revenue the higher nicotine prices bring to the treasury.

Only three parties are outside the settlement.

– This goes against all the evidence, against the experiences of other countries and the advice of all health experts and the National Board of Health, I cannot stand behind this plan, Radikale left’s Stinus Lindgreen told DR.

The National Board of Health issued the advice last year that no one under the age of 18 should drink alcohol, partly because of a survey that showed that close to 60 percent of Danish 15-16-year-olds had drunk themselves drunk in the last month, compared to 20 percent in Sweden.

– We must listen to the National Board of Health’s advice, but at the same time we must remember what it is like to be young in Denmark. Changing a culture among young people is not solved by hammering a ban into their heads, says Sophie Løhde.

“Super scary”

She and the other politicians are also concerned about the increasing spread of snus in the country. More than one in three Danes between the ages of 15 and 29 state that they insert a pill every day.

– It is super scary how young people increasingly use alcohol and nicotine products, says Monika Rubin (Moderaterne) at a press conference.

The price of snus will therefore be increased by 12 Danish kroner to around 60 kroner for a box, and those under 18 will not be allowed to buy the product – which will also no longer be flavored with anything other than menthol.

Businesses that sell alcohol and nicotine are also subject to stricter rules on product placement and permits, and face stiff penalties if they break the laws – a stark change, according to Løhde.

– No shop has ever lost the license to sell alcohol in Denmark. It does not reflect reality at all, she tells Politiken.

FACTS The new alcohol and nicotine laws

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