Alcohol advertising ban only in a few years? Senators propose amendments
Senators want to postpone the dates of entry into force of the new regulations. The alcohol advertising ban would only apply from December 31, 2030, while the night prohibition would enter into force on June 1 next year.
The proposed changes caused dissatisfaction among some MPs. I am very disappointed with the attitude of the Polish People's Party, which at the last stage introduced amendments to this draft amendment, said Wioleta Tomczak from Poland 2050, deputy head of the Parliamentary Health Committee and co-author of the anti-alcohol law, to an RMF FM reporter.
The head of the PSL parliamentary club, Krzysztof Paszyk, responded to the allegations. Let's treat normally those who produce wine and beer. These are our Polish entrepreneurs, the MP emphasized.
What does the Anti-Alcohol Act assume?
The draft amendment provides, among others: introduction of night prohibition throughout the country. The ban on the sale of alcohol would apply from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. However, it would not cover eating establishments where alcohol is sold for on-site consumption.
The new regulations would also give municipalities the ability to introduce additional restrictions. Local governments could prohibit the sale of alcohol intended for consumption outside the point of sale between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. or between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The amendment also provides for a total ban on advertising and promotion of all alcoholic beverages, including beer. Breaking the regulations would result in a fine of PLN 30,000. PLN up to one million zlotys or a penalty of restriction of liberty.
Ban on selling "monkeys" and alcohol outside shop windows at gas stations
As RMF FM found out, the Parliamentary Health Committee intends to prepare another draft amendment to the Act on upbringing in sobriety. It is to include solutions that were abandoned during work on the current act.
One of them is to be a total ban on the sale of alcohol in small packages, commonly called "monkeys". The project will also provide for the introduction of the principle of selling alcohol at gas stations without displaying it in windows or on visible shelves.
People who want to buy alcohol at gas stations will not see this alcohol as they would in a standard store. We must be aware that, for example, research by a group of teetotalers from Gdańsk shows that as many as 70-80 percent of people who are in an alcohol crisis buy alcohol at gas stations, notes Wioleta Tomczak.
As the MP explains, the aim of such a solution would be to limit the exposure of alcohol and to prevent people visiting gas stations from buying it. Similar rules apply to the sale of cigarettes.
Minimum price of alcohol. Further proposals for changes
The draft may also include a provision introducing a minimum price for alcohol. As Wioleta Tomczak explains, this solution would complement the ban on price promotions and limit the possibility of selling alcohol at particularly attractive prices.
I think that the commission's bill will also include a minimum price for alcohol, which will complement the ban on price promotions, so that alcohol will simply have a price that will not tempt you before purchasing it. In addition, what incites public opinion the most, i.e. a total ban on the sale of alcohol in small quantities, the so-called "monkeys", emphasizes the MP.
According to RMF FM's findings, the project may be submitted at the turn of the year. However, its final shape will depend on the final work on the anti-alcohol law currently being processed in the Senate.
The submission of this bill and its shape will depend on whether the president signs the bill currently being processed. If the president has any reservations about this parliamentary bill adopted by the Sejm, we may simply edit some provisions and submit it to the committee bill again, adds Wioleta Tomczak.
Law and Justice MPs have already submitted their own proposal to ban the sale of so-called monkeys. Despite this, the Parliamentary Health Committee intends to prepare its own project, which will also contain such a provision. It is therefore possible that the Sejm will work on both proposals.
