Booze threat: up to 10,000 Islanders have a drinking problem

Thursday 25 September 2014

Pub-opening hours, off-license prices and the rise in the number of shops selling alcohol will all be reviewed in a major investigation of drinking laws aimed at fixing Jersey’s huge drinking problem.

The review will also consider whether there should be action on the fact that there are more than twice as many pubs and off-licenses per head of population in Jersey than there are in the UK, as figures reveal that anything up to 10,000 Islanders have a drinking problem.

The Alcohol and Licensing Strategy released by the Chief Minister this week has revealed that ministers were considering raising the legal drinking age to 21 as a response to the latest alarming stats on the damage that alcohol is doing to our health, but dropped the idea in favour of a package of measures that they say will help to reduce the health damage and premature deaths associated with booze.

It’s understood that there have been disagreements between ministers on how to address the issue, with the Health, Home Affairs and Economic Development ministers all at odds over what to do.

Figures show that drink-related hospital admissions in Jersey are among the highest in the UK, that alcohol-related premature deaths mean that 307 years of life are lost each year, and that most worryingly of all, between 5% and 12% of adults have a drinking problem - and around 4,000 people in Jersey are alcoholics.

A new strategy released in the dying days of the Council of Ministers says that the next set of ministers should investigate a range of actions to tackle the issue, including extending opening hours, giving police officers powers to shut pubs or even all licensed premises in a certain area, as well as reviewing drink drive limits and minimum pricing.