Open Letter: Delhi’s decision to maintain the MLDA at 25 years is critically needed to set an example for other state
30 March 2021
Sh.Anil Baijal,
Lieutenant Governor
Delhi,
Esteemed Sir,
Greetings from the Healthy India Alliance!
The Healthy India Alliance is a coalition of 13 Indian Multi-disciplinary Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), working collaboratively to strengthen CSO capacity and engagement for Non Communicable Disease (NCD) prevention and control in the country.
We are writing to you in reference to the recent amendment made on 22-March-21 regarding the Delhi’s Excise Policy. Through this letter we would like to express our concerns over ensuring lesser availability, affordability and acceptability to alcohol. The new amendment poses a threat to the future of Delhi as it will seriously affect the safety and health standards of youth and young adults. Keeping in mind the best interest of Child Rights conventions and the goals of building a drug free and healthy Delhi, we express our support against the new excise policy amendment using the evidence below.
Recommendations:
1. Minimise acceptability:
Healthy India Alliance is committed to support the Government of NCT of Delhi to raise strong arguments against lowering the MLDA while making efforts for a unified age of 25 years across the Nation, while also ensuring stricter implementation and penalties for violation. The future of the state is the Youth and by reducing the MLDG to 21 years it is going to expose them to alcohol and substance addiction at an earlier age which will impact their health & productivity. A number of studies have shown that the adolescent brain is still developing until the age of 25 years. During this period, they are under social pressures to drink. At times, they try to cope with anxiety and depression with alcohol and if they're in an environment where the MLDA is less, they're under the social stigma against getting drunk. Alcohol use during the period from 18-25 years negatively affects two important regions of the brain Hippocampus (affecting memory and learning) and Prefrontal lobe (affecting planning, judgment, decision making, impulse control and language). Evidence shows that the more teenagers delay their alcohol drinking, the less likely they are to become regular consumers as an adult and can avoid alcohol-related problems later in life.
Under age youth below 21 years will now have an easier window to access alcohol if the MLDA is brought to 21 years and as there was no strict monitoring of underage drinking when the MLDA was at 25 years, a similar relaxed system could grow if the MLDA is reduced to 21 years.
2. Minimise Affordability :
When it comes to affordability of alcohol, while the government seems concerned about simplifying the price mechanisms that augments revenue, it should also keep in mind that these new reforms come at the cost of public health. There has been a recommendation from government panel to increase the alcohol serving hours from 1am to 3am rather it should be reduced to 11am. Similarly, there must be restrictions on special marketing tactics used by vendors like happy hours/ girl’s entry free/ couples’ entry free etc., as it becomes uncontrollable to monitor youth liquor consumption. Price breakers and restricted serving hours will help to regulate the quantity of consumption among youngsters. Reducing the MLDA and increasing serving hours will be a threat to safety & security of women and children will put an extra burden on police force and law & order.
3. Minimise Accessibility and Availability:
The number of dry days has been reduced to 3 days so as to be in parity with neighbouring states: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab. But it has been identified by WHO (HIA letter 4 June 2018) that reduction in the number of dry days is going to increase alcohol-related harm. Furthermore, number of liquor shop vends is going to increase to put an end to the liquor mafia, but this gives a chance for all localities to be exposed to alcohol more often wherever they go. Storage of alcohol at home must also be restricted as it is a more convenient access to liquor for children and if not monitored it could be treated as a criminal offence under the Juvenile Justice Act. Similarly, according to the Section 33 of UNCRC, every child has the right to live in a drug free environment and a space where they are protected from parent’s drug use. (Alcohol is a legal drug for people above 25 years of age and illegal for under 25years now)
Therefore, to generate revenue the government is risking the future of the state who are the youth. We write this petition to the government of NCT of Delhi to maintain a uniform MLDA at 25 years so that neighbouring states would also be influenced to consider the same. We also demand for a National Alcohol Policy so that every state can adhere to one set of guidelines. This policy should focus on drug demand reduction and ensure uniform monitoring and evaluation patterns.
We, the members of the Healthy India Alliance urge for a unified MLDA across the country as 25 years in contrast to the existing varying (18-25 years) sub-national MLDAs.
Therefore, the Government of NCT of Delhi’s decision to maintain the MLDA at 25 years is critically needed to set an example for other state proceedings. Moreover, stricter enforcement of law that imposes firm penalties for violation of MLDA and other alcohol control measures, will further its effectiveness and success. This will also project Delhi as an ideal State and a best practice model for other states to follow.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on the Recommendations of the Expert Committee. Please do not hesitate to contact us to provide further information