AGE NO BAR

AGE NO BAR 

Herald Review May 18, 2014 

It’s not just about bars staying open till 4 am so we can keep the tourism industry ticking. Very rarely has the debate on drinking in Goa focussed on the drinking age and enforcing the law that prohibits anyone below the age of 21 from buying a drink at a bar or liquor from a store. The medical fraternity says younger people are now dying of severe liver damage. The very fact that the state’s excise department has not a single case booked against those selling liquor to the underaged, shows how blasé the government is about enforcing the law, something the state of Maharashtra can put us to shame about. And so we can continue to look the other way as 15 and 16- year- olds saunter into the scores of nightclubs and pubs in Goa and nonchalantly pick up their next drink...

LISA ANN MONTEIRO

The government has been under pressure to cut down bar timings following the sword attack on two men outside the Panjim pub Down the Road last month. One of the victims lost an eye in the attack, the other, was lucky enough— by a few centimetres— to have escaped having his life severed. What nobody is talking about however, is that 15 and 16 year- olds are allowed to drink in a nightclub, bar, restaurant— or anywhere for that matter— in Goa, and no one seems to think the law on drinking age needs to be enforced.

There’s no passing the buck here because the law is quite clear: Section 19 of the Goa Excise Duty Act 1964 prohibits the sale of liquor to those below the age of 21 years. Unfortunately, the rule has remained on paper only.

The State Excise Department has been utterly passive in enforcing the rule.

The department says it hasn’t booked anyone till date for selling liquor to a minor. The worldwide practice of asking a young person to produce an ID before buying a drink is nonexistent in Goa. And so, as is the trend here, anyone below 21 can freely stroll into a pub, walk up to the bar counter and ask for a drink. No questions asked, no ID required.

Commissioner of the State Excise Department Menino D’Souza says the rule has never been enforced. “ The law has been there and we’re in charge of enforcing it but we haven’t been proactive. We can’t book the underage youth who is drinking, we can only book the seller. Only if there’s a complaint we look into it. Otherwise restaurant and pub owners say we’re harassing their customers. We’ve never booked anyone till date for selling liquor to a minor.”

The Excise department has given a total of 7,297 licenses in the State. No fresh licenses have been given to bars operating without restaurants. In August last year the government had imposed the 11 pm limit ( it was earlier 5 am) for serving liquor in restaurants and pubs. Those who wanted to keep the bar running till 1am had to pay higher fees. During the Assembly session earlier this year MLAs from the coastal belt complained about this affecting tourism and the timing was extended to 4am by a notification on March 28.

Restaurants pay Rs 10,000 a year for a bar license till 11 pm, Rs 60,000 for a license to operate till 1am, and Rs 2.50 lakh to keep the bar running till 4am. Authorities say this extension of timing is only allowed in the cities of Margao, Ponda, Panjim and Mapusa and in coastal villages. Five star hotels can serve alcohol till 5am. Off shore casinos have a 24 hour license.

Again, the department says it finds it difficult to keep tabs on restaurants that flout the rules and serve liquor way beyond 4am.

Many are thankful to the Manohar Parrikar government for banning sachets of 50ml, 60ml and 90 ml which would sell for RS 5 onwards.

Most youngsters breaking into drinking, before they acquire a taste for alcohol, start with vodka because it has no strong taste or smell. They prefer vodka over beer because it has a lower calorie content and isn’t as bulky to carry. Once they mature, they move on to the coloured spirits— whiskeys and rums. The youth is also lured into drinking with the Breezers, the colourful, sugary, fruit wine based ‘ alcopop’ with its 4 per cent alcohol content. Because of its low alcohol content, most people don’t even consider this to be liquor. The different flavours of vodka are also an attraction to the youth.

Hansel Vaz, a stakeholder in the liquor industry says you can’t give people a license to drink without teaching them how to drink. “ People should be encouraged to drink in moderation and people should be told not to drink and drive. Restaurants should keep the phone numbers of taxi drivers and rickshaws so that guests know they have a way of getting home safely if they drink. Many foreigners want this and taxi drivers will be more than happy. We should also be concerned when drinking in front of children. In New Zealand, even if you have a child in the car with you, a vendor won’t sell liquor to you.

People also shouldn’t be allowed to drink on beaches as these are public spaces and there can be consequences— one can drown and disturb other families and cause a nuisance.

They can drink off the beach but not on the beach.”

He too feels minors shouldn’t be drinking before their time and youngsters should be forced to produce ID cards before being allowed into pubs.

“ The Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA) is doing a great job but they come in after the problem has started. We need to take measures before it starts,” he says.

Psychiatrist Dr Rajesh Dhume says the average age for drinking has gone down. “ Earlier the average age of people who used to come for detox ( detoxification) was 35- 40. Now it is 25- 30 with some one- off cases of 28 and 29- year- olds dying of severe liver damage. The earlier one starts, the higher the chances that one can become dependent. There are also a fair number of women with severe dependency but most don’t seek treatment and are hidden but this doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

There is the bar lobby and the tourism lobby, he says but at what cost?

A recent case in AA is a 22 year old college going girl who went to Mangalore to seek initial treatment because the government doesn’t have a separate detox centre in the State for women. She would blackmail her parents to give her liquor and would finish one bottle of rum at a time. She is on the path to recovery now after her parents took her to AA.

Another recent case is that of a boy all of 14 years who was admitted to the hospital because he began getting tremors. He began drinking not long after he turned 11. Eulogio G, chairman of the Intergroup South of AA says they have boys as young as 17 who attend regular AA meetings.

“ Most start drinking the small sachets and at weekend parties. They start with Breezers and beer and move on to hard drinks. When they become alcoholics they mostly drink country liquor as it’s cheaper, and all they want is a kick. They avail of government facilities because they have finished all their money. The problem is, which of our religious feasts and festivals are not celebrated without drinking?”

South Goa has 45 AA groups of 10- 15 people each with the largest group in Ambaulim with 40 people. A few women attend these meetings. Due to the social stigma these women are too shy to come out and many die silently in their homes, say AA members.

“ Alcoholism is a powerful, baffling and cunning disease. Unfortunately we don’t see alcoholism as a sickness, we see alcoholics as bad people. We don’t take alcoholism as seriously as other diseases. If a dog dies, we pity it and move it to the side of the road. Unfortunately if an alcoholic is fallen by the side of the road we say he deserves it. Alcoholics need love and they come to these meetings to get hope and find friends,” Eulogio says. Review Bureau

Catching them young

Alcopop refers to flavoured alcoholic beverages that resemble soft drinks.

They fall in the RTD ( ready to drink) category because they are already pre- mixed and are also called FABs ( flavoured alcoholic beverages) in an attempt to downplay their strength and make them seem more consumer friendly. Breezers are rum based alcopops with 4 per cent alcohol content which come in a variety of flavours. Alcopops are especially appealing to underage drinkers because they tend to be sweet and are served in small bottles the normal size of a cold drink. Alcopops are becoming a popular option for young drinkers who don’t enjoy the strong taste of alcohol. These are marketed to youngsters in such a way that reduces the awareness of the alcoholic content of these drinks.

The late- nighters

Establishments licensed to serve liquor up to 4am: Down the Road, Panjim Hotel Salida de Sol, Panjim Butter Lounge- Panjim Bharat Hotel, Canacona Silver Star Hotel, Canacona Etelvina, Bogmalo Trade Wing, Bogmalo Select Holiday, Vasco Park Hyatt, Vasco Club Margarida, Colva St Anthony Bar & Restaurant, Calangute Sea Side Resorts, Calangute St Francis Bar, Calangute Luky Star Bar & Restaurant, Calangute Tropical Bar, Calangute Hype, Calangute Lime light Bar & Restaurant, Calangute De Baga Deck, Calangute Baptista Bar & Restaurant, Calangute Candolim Deck, Candolim Sinq Disco, Candolim LPK Waterfront, Nerul Nine Bar, Anjuna, Mango Tree, Vagator Psychiatrist Dr Rajesh Dhume says the average age for drinking has gone down.

Drinking till dawn

In August last year the government had imposed the 11 pm limit ( it was earlier 5 am) for serving liquor in restaurants and pubs. Those who wanted to keep the bar running till 1am had to pay higher fees. During the Assembly session earlier this year MLAs from the coastal belt complained about this affecting tourism and the timing was extended to 4am by a notification on March 28.

Restaurants pay Rs 10,000 a year for a bar license till 11 pm, Rs 60,000 for a license to operate till 1am, and Rs 2.50 lakh to keep the bar running till 4am.

Authorities say this extension of timing is only allowed in the cities of Margao, Ponda, Panjim and Mapusa and in coastal villages.

Five star hotels can serve alcohol till 5am. Off shore casinos have a 24 hour license.

Again, the department says it finds it difficult to keep tabs on restaurants that flout the rules and serve liquor way beyond 4am.

Excise fails to exercise the law

Section 19 of the Goa Excise Duty Act 1964 prohibits the sale of liquor to those below the age of 21 years. Unfortunately, the rule has remained on paper only. The State Excise Department has been passive in enforcing this rule. The department says it hasn’t booked anyone till date for selling liquor to a minor. The worldwide practice of asking a young person to produce an ID before buying a drink is nonexistent in the State. There’s also nothing stopping those below 21 from entering pubs.

Commissioner of the State Excise Department Menino D’Souza says the rule has never been enforced. “ The law has been there and we’re in charge of enforcing it but we haven’t been proactive. We can’t book the underage youth who is drinking, we can only book the seller. Only if there’s a complaint we look into it. Otherwise restaurant and pub owners say we’re harassing their customers. We’ve never booked anyone till date for selling liquor to a minor.”