In a move that harks back to an earlier era, Russia`s Public Chamber has tabled a proposal to significantly tighten alcohol sales regulations, drawing both fervent support and considerable skepticism. The core idea? To re-embrace Soviet-era restrictions, limiting sales to a narrow window from 11 AM to 7 PM. But will this step truly foster a healthier nation, or merely invite the ghosts of black markets past?
The Proposal: A Nostalgic Approach to Public Health
Currently, most Russian regions permit alcohol sales from 8 AM until 11 PM. The Public Chamber`s initiative aims to drastically cut this window, citing historical precedents from the Soviet period. The logic, as articulated by Sergei Rybalchenko, head of the Public Chamber`s commission on demography, is straightforward: this period reportedly saw “record declines in mortality, especially among the male population, and, notably, a rise in birth rates.” The ultimate goal is to “increase the expected life duration of the working-age population.” The proposal even suggests a gradual, year-by-year reduction in sales hours, a seemingly gentle nudge towards a sober future.
“There is the experience of the Soviet period, it was then that record indicators of mortality reduction, primarily among the male population, and also an increase in the birth rate, were achieved. For the first time in many years, an increase in expected life duration, primarily for men of working age, was recorded.”
Historical Echoes: A Skeptical Look Back
However, like a ghost in the machine, historical precedent looms large, viewed through a more critical lens by market experts. Denis Puzyrev, an alcohol market expert and author of the “Drunk Master” Telegram channel, casts a shadow on the rosy interpretation of the Soviet experience. He vividly recalls the consequences of past restrictions: “huge queues, assaults on wine departments, stampedes.” Paradoxically, he notes, “the level of alcohol consumption in the late Soviet Union was higher.”
“If such a proposal is implemented, the authors of these proposals should clearly remember what actually happened in the Soviet Union when the time, place, and amount of alcohol sold were limited. I vividly remember huge queues, storming of wine departments, stampedes. Moreover, the level of alcohol consumption in the late Soviet Union was higher. And when the Soviet leadership introduced such measures, the trend was upward — alcohol consumption per capita, in fact, grew. Now the trend is downward, and why introduce additional restrictions on a downward trend is absolutely unclear.”
Puzyrev questions the wisdom of introducing new curbs when the current trend for alcohol consumption is already on a decline, suggesting that such measures might be anachronistic and counterproductive.
Modern Day Realities: Adaptation and Unintended Consequences
The debate is not purely academic; several Russian regions have already embarked on their own, often draconian, experiments with restricted alcohol sales. While most tightened rules slightly, five regions introduced what some might call “draconian” measures. Chechnya and Tuva, for instance, permit sales for just a few hours a day. The most striking example for a non-Muslim region is the Vologda Oblast, where alcohol can be purchased for a mere two hours daily.
What has been the outcome? Vladimir Peshkov, a journalist from Vologda, offers an insightful, somewhat ironic, perspective: “Essentially, all such restrictions lead to nothing but people adapting to them.” He notes alcohol markets converting to food stores, and a new public habit of “strict time-management” to snag a bottle within the brief window. Those who truly wish to imbibe, he suggests, simply find a way, fostering an underground market.
“To a large extent, all such restrictions lead to nothing but people somehow adapting to them. Alcohol markets in Vologda are indeed closing, and it`s noticeable. There are alcohol markets that have purely reoriented to food. People generally react to alcohol sales restrictions with irony – well, that`s what I see. Those who need it will buy it either from 12 to 14 or somewhere else. Among my friends, a new habit has appeared – looking at the clock, engaging in very strict time-management. Business simply adapts: some close down, some open up.”
Adding to this, independent alcohol expert Andrey Tkemaladze points out another critical, and often overlooked, side effect: “I think that the regions surrounding the Vologda region were very happy with this decision. We always see statistics for Vologda, but no one publishes statistics for the surrounding regions. I am sure that alcohol sales there have increased several times, and the alcoholization of the population has somehow increased. Such problems cannot be solved by prohibitive methods.” This suggests that restrictions in one area might simply push the problem, and associated revenue, elsewhere.
The Medical Lens: Beyond Bans to Education
Physicians, ever the pragmatists, greet the Public Chamber`s proposal with tempered enthusiasm. Alexey Kazantsev, a psychiatrist-narcologist, argues that curtailed sales hours offer no systemic solution. He advocates for a more impactful approach: “I am more for social advertising, for showing on television those terrible scenes that happen to a person in dependence: alcoholic deliria, consequences in terms of memory, impaired thinking, genitalia – how degradation proceeds. This needs to be shown more.”
“I am more for social advertising, for showing on television those terrible scenes that happen to a person in dependence: alcoholic deliria, consequences in terms of memory, impaired thinking, genitalia – how degradation proceeds. This needs to be shown more. And restrictions will also play a role, but for addicts, they will lead to them starting to consume counterfeit products, there will be under-the-counter sales. Remember the times when taxi drivers, so to speak, drove around with it in their trunks. We`ve all been through this before.”
His warning about the inevitable rise of counterfeit and “under-the-counter” sales echoes the historical concerns, painting a grim picture of potentially more dangerous consequences for public health.
The Ironic Postscript: The Non-Alcoholic Quandary
As if the debate weren`t already potent enough, a proposal from Yaroslav Nilov, head of the Duma`s labor committee, added a dash of unexpected spice. He suggested going “even further” by prohibiting the advertising of non-alcoholic beer and banning its sale at gas stations. The justification? Non-alcoholic beer, by GOST standards, can contain up to 0.5% alcohol. The irony, of course, is that kefir can contain up to 0.7%, and kvass up to 1.2% – beverages consumed widely without similar moral panic. This highlights the sometimes-arbitrary nature of such regulatory zeal.
Conclusion: A Policy Tug-of-War
The Public Chamber`s aspiration for a healthier, longer-lived populace is admirable. Drawing inspiration from past triumphs, however interpreted, provides a clear objective. Yet, the chorus of expert opinion suggests that history, human nature, and economics might be less accommodating. While the desire to curb societal issues linked to alcohol is strong, the path of prohibition and severe restriction appears fraught with well-documented pitfalls: from the creation of black markets and the consumption of illicit, dangerous products, to a mere shift of the problem across administrative borders. As Russia grapples with its public health challenges, the ongoing debate over alcohol sales hours serves as a compelling reminder that the simplest solutions are not always the most effective, and that even the best intentions can yield unintended, and occasionally ironic, consequences.
