By Patricia Grogg
HAVANA, Aug 15 1999 (IPS)

One month after the government ordered restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages there was still no indication that they have had any real effect.

Anyone strolling around town last week would have been hard put to notice the difference, as liquor sales went going ahead the same as before. In two bars, the staff was not aware even that there were new limits on sales.

Officials at the state Union of Gastronomic Businesses of Havana, however, assured reporters that “in general” the new rules were being obeyed. They said it had been necessary to confiscate kegs of beer from street sellers, the sale of which was now barred.

The restrictions on the sale of alcoholic drinks, devised by the Ministry of Interior Commerce, were approved in March but were not made known in the press until mid-July. In Cuba, laws take effect only after they have been published in the Official Gazette.

According to the Ministry, the common practice of selling alcohol in parks, streets and other public areas “affects the quality of life and environmental cleanliness,” and made it necessary to establish limits.

Public outlets for liquor sellers led to conduct that was ” not in accord with our ethical and moral principles, besides setting a poor example, especially for our youngest generation,” the Ministry said.

One citzen, commenting on the new restrictions, agreed. “Some people start drinking early in the day, in front of groups of kids and outside of schools. That’s a bad example for the development of children and teenagers,” she said.

The Ministry banned the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors under age 18, in establishments run by “the state or private sector, regardless of whether the transaction is in national currency or easily convertible foreign currency.”

The new regulations established legal hours for retail sales, in foreign or local currency, from noon until 6:00 a.m. – with an exception made for hotel guests. According to sources in the food and beverage sector the majority of violations of this rule have been in the retail sector that charges customers in foreign currency.

Since the start of the 1990s, the economic crisis made the sale of alcohol and tobacco are top money earner for Cubans – due to high demand, low production costs and, above all, an abundant supply in a market characterised by a lack of other goods.

In 1993, it was estimated the country was awash in surplus local currency to the amount of 13 billion pesos. At the end of 1998, the surplus had fallen to 9 billion, due in large part to the sale of rum and cigars.

The need to raise prices and the absence of other products caused alcoholic beverages to be sold in the most unexpected places and the increasing commercialisation of liquor prioritised economic factors over social, educational and environmental considerations.

The new laws prohibit alcohol sales in parks, streets, stadiums, areas adjacent to residential housing or educational institutions, health and religious centres, and funeral homes, “and in any place where the social well-being would be affected.”

“But it’s one thing to make a rule, and another to enforce its compliance. Sales in foreign currency persist in the mornings,” said one observer.

According to local newspapers, “passing measures is just the first step, as there is a lack of systematic controls to guarantee compliance.”

Analysts noted that alcohol consumption is a part of daily life here and an increasing number of people drink on a regular basis.

According to estimates from the National Programme of Rehabilitation and Control of Alcohol, which were made public during a seminar organised in November 1998, between seven and nine percent of Cuba’s 11 million population regularly consume alcoholic beverages.

“Cubans drink when they’re happy, to ease their sorrows or to celebrate a baseball victory. My impression as a resident of Atares (a marginal neighbourhood in Havana) is that more than 50 percent of the people drink alcohol,” affirmed Juan Carlos Diaz, a 36-year-old professional.

Health authorities said alcoholism was not a serious health problem, but they believed it was necessary to set up a national program addressing this illness, in response to the increase in consumption.

The rise in drinking had triggered an increase in the number of car accidents, as well as the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver, domestic violence, suicidal behaviour and a variety of other conflicts, said Jose Sandoval, from the National Programme of Rehabilitation and Control of Alcohol.

According to studies by experts, consumers were influenced by the huge presence of alcoholic beverages in the market, the broad hours of sale and their association of alcohol with social animation.

The World Health Organisation has estimated that at least 70 percent of the world’s population drinks alcoholic beverages, and that 10 percent fall into the category of “problem drinkers.” In 1997, some 160 million people were addicted to alcohol. (FIN/IPS/pg/mp/ip-he/ks/mk/99)

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