Youth throughout Russia are promising unrest and acts of disobedience if law classifying beer as alcohol is not repealed.
Russian children are boiling mad about Russian President Medvedev’s announcement that beer will soon be classified for the first time in Russian history as an alcoholic drink.
Children throughout Russia are still not completely over the ban on traditional and gambling at casinos online which cost tens of thousands of Russian kids their after school jobs distributing casino advertising flyers.
The new law sets a 0.5 percent threshold to legally determine if a liquid is to be classified as an alcohol. The situation eased up a bit after schools announced that Kvas, a national drink containing 1.2% alcohol favored by children will be exempt from the list.
The move is also seen as partially influenced by Coca Cola which has recently started marketing a brand of Kvas – Tzars & Peasants, throughout Russia.
Improving the quality of life in order to discourage alcohol consumption is a new approach for Russia. According to a Public Chamber member Oleg Zykov, Russia never had a policy of reducing the demand for alcohol, only regulating its supply. Now it became obvious to the authorities and the public that they should fight with the causes rather than with the consequences.
A new bill signed into law forbids the sale of beer from 11pm till 8am throughout the country as well as bans it from street kiosks which are located on practically every corner of Russian cities and villages.
The law will take effect on January 1, 2013 the day when nearly the entire population will be in need of beer to ease back into reality after vodka fueled New Year’s binge.
Russian children start drinking beer and wine at 12-13 years of age and move on to vodka by the age of 18. According to the Russian Ministry of Health, an average Russian drinks 30 liters of vodka each year.
The World Health Organization awarded Russia 4th place in the world in per capita alcohol consumption. Only Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Mexico are ahead of Russia in alcohol consumption while South Africa and Ukraine have almost caught up.
Nick Meisher