Prices up, limits down - alcohol laws come under the microscope

Totally agree with the idea of raising the age limit.
Realistically speaking looking at all the alcohol fulled people causing disoerderly behaviour on Friday nights is just unacceptable. And as a member of the police, it's about time this legislation is put into place.

I think alcohol is a problem we can do nothing about! Tinkering with laws will only make peoples lives more difficult. Bit like speed cameras achieve nothing and just annoy drivers, spurring them on to drive ever faster. Alcohol has been a problem for millennia, but we like it. A brave Politician should simply point this rather obvious fact out, rather than waste public money on an unsolvable problem .

The simple “all or none” approaches traditionally favoured by our legislators will not only continue to be unpopular but are doomed to fail. Instead of focusing on drinking age and price we should be looking at where and how alcohol is sold, where it may be consumed and only lastly by whom.

The best way to tackle the alcohol problem is to do nothing and let the problem subside over time.

1. Alcohol price rises will hit the pockets of responsible drinkers while those who spend most of their pay packet on alcohol will be unphased to spend a few extra pennies more per drink.
2. Rising the age of purchase doesn't solve anything as youths will get their parents or older friends/siblings to buy it for them. It also disadvantages responsible youth drinkers who are already deemed responsible enough to vote, pay tax, drive, join the armed forces or have sex, but can't buy a beer at their local pub.
3. Lowering blood alcohol limits disadvantages those who know their limits well already while those who just don't give a damn will continue to drive drunk even 3-4 times over the limit.

All three ideas suggested by the law commission only penalise the majority of responsible alcohol drinkers in New Zealand. The ones in the other category will continue to drink themselves into stupour and misbehave.

I do support one thing, make it an offense to be intoxicated in a public place. As far as I know, if you are intoxicated all that happenes is that the police put you in the drunk tank at the station to monitor you until you are conscious enough to look after yourself and see you on your way. How about issuing fines to those people who drink way more than their body can handle and who also put themselves at risk as a result. This suggestion actually deals with the drinkers who are the reason why this country has such a bad binge drinking reputation.

About time they overlooked the drinking age policy. Especially in this generation, too many young teenagers getting involved in all sorts of trouble from alcohol, as a result, face tragic consequences. Just the other day, I was parked outside my favourite takeaway shop when I witnessed two young teens (12-14) walking along the footpath, both drinking 12% Cody's, highly intoxicated and were verbally abusive.

Ridiculous!. And that goes for the parents!

I don't see why the alcohol limit for driving should be lowered. The current limit is about 2.5 glasses of beer. This limit has been greatly surpassed in accidents where alcohol has been a factor. Don't revise legislation for the sake of keeping yourselves employed.

Warren, if your english is anything to go by, i would be putting the drinking age up and raising the school leaving age. have a nice day

y on the eve of anzac day would one d talking about rasing the drinking age when alot of nzer's were 18 & under when thay lost ther lives in those wars lam 2 the slurter @ 18 so y is it wronge 4 u to hav a beer @ 18