The evaluation of the control of alcohol sales in Lithuania: social harm management perspective

Straipsnyje apžvelgiama literatūra susijusi su alkoholio pardavimų kontrolės priemonių veiksmingumo vertinimais, mažinat besaikį alkoholio vartojimą ir su juo susijusią žalą, bei analizuojamas šių priemonių taikymas LietuvojeThe literature review was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of alcohol taxes, hours and days of sale, outlet density, minimum legal drinking age, and the interventions of dram shop liability policies, which are intended for the reduction of excessive alcohol consumption and other alcohol related harms. According to the analytical framework of the effective means of alcohol control, which are aimed at the reduction of excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol related harms, the evaluation of alcohol sales’ regulation was conducted in Lithuania. Alcohol control policy is developed according to the Law on Alcohol Control, which specifies who can sell alcoholic beverages and under what conditions. The main aim of this policy, i.e. to reduce alcohol consumption and its harm to health, has never been reached. The consumption of pure alcohol increases with small expectations in 2009. What is more, the excise duty on alcohol has a tendency to increase due to increasing excessive alcohol consumption and decreased alcohol prices. The production of spirit alcoholic drinks and alcoholic cocktails, recalculated into an absolute (100 %) alcohol, increased by 4.4 % in the country in 2011, as compared with 2010. The consumption of pure alcohol was 14.1 litres per capita (15+ years) in 2011. The excise duty on alcohol is not optimal because it has no significant influence on alcohol price, especially on the price of beer. When alcohol prices have increased in general during the past years, the prices of alcohol beverages decreased 1.1 % in 2011, in comparison with 2010. Although the ban to sale alcohol beverages` off premise from 22 a.m. to 8 a.m. exists in Lithuania, but the accessibility to alcohol still remains 24 hours a day (due to legal alcohol sales on premise). Moreover, the number of licenses to sell alcohol increased, and there were 18550 licenses in 2011. [...]Viešojo administravimo katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta