NZ doctors call for teen booze ban in bars

The New Zealand Medical Association has recommended banning teenagers from buying alcoholic drinks in an attempt to stamp down on the country’s “worrying” alcohol use.

The association wants the minimum age for buying alcohol in bars and pubs to rise from 18 to 20

The association has released a document, named Reducing Alcohol-related Harm, which argues that the minimum age for buying alcohol in bars and pubs should rise from 18 to 20, to bring the law in line with purchasing restrictions in shops across the country.

It outlines 10 recommendations in total, which include increasing tax on alcohol, more comprehensive alcohol addiction programmes, banning alcohol brands from sponsoring events, and improvements in healthcare screening.

According to Sky News, the association’s chairman, Auckland GP Dr Stephen Child, says more than half a million nationals consume alcohol in a “hazardous” way.

He added: “Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, it is a toxin, an intoxicant and an addictive psychotropic drug.”