By Kundai Marunya
THE mushrooming of stand-alone bottle stores and liquor outlets across the country has been fingered as one of the contributory factors to substance abuse.
These liquor outlets have been established in their numbers, mostly trading in counterfeit gin, vodka, whisky, local and foreign beers as well as wines.
Alcoholic beverages are cheaper in these outlets compared to major establishments as most of them sell smuggled beverages.
Alcohol is largely viewed as a gateway to hard drugs, the commonest being marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth and broncleer, among many others.
According to anti-drug advocacy organisation Heal Us, addicts usually start by consuming alcohol before graduating to hard drugs.
“Most drug addicts started by abusing alcohol to the extent they could no longer get the high they wanted before graduating to drugs,” said Heal Us founder Columbus Mushore.
“Not to say everyone who drinks alcohol will end up addicted to drugs, but they become open to experiment with harder drugs when under the influence of alcohol.”
Drug abuse has devastated communities resulting in a spike in petty crimes, mental health issues and even deaths.
The pandemic pushed the Second Republic into declaring drug abuse a national disaster last year, resulting in a law enforcement crackdown on known drug lords.
Though somewhat effective, the raids have not rid Zimbabwe of the drug menace; thus stakeholders are coming up with different plans, working with Government to curb future drug abuse.
Recently, Government announced plans not to renew liquor licences for stand-alone bottle stores in Harare’s CBD.
In a story carried by The Sunday Mail, Gabriel Masvora, communications and advocacy director in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, made it clear that all liquor retailing licences would expire on June 30 2024.
“Specifically for Harare CBD, we have flagged all bottle stores and all their licences will not be renewed,” he said.
“The Liquor Licensing Board (LLB), in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)’s Licencing Inspectorate, is conducting a joint compliance inspection of all liquor-selling outlets.
Post-June 30 2024, only bottle stores located within large supermarkets will be permitted to operate in the CBD.”
Masvora explained that under the new regulations, liquor outlets “…will not enjoy automatic (licence) renewal…” for the year 2024 if their operations pose a threat to public safety.
When carried out, this will help significantly reduce daytime drinking in the capital’s commercial hub.
A local chapter of regional body, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), has commended Government for “…its decisive action in halting liquor licencing in the Harare Central Business District”.
SAAPA Zimbabwe co-ordinator Tungamirai Zimonte hailed Government’s move.
“This move demonstrates a commitment to public health and safety, recognising the need to address alcohol-related harms,” he said.
Zimonte called on the Government to tighten the screws on liquor sales.
“In line with WHO’s SAFER initiative, SAAPA urges the Government to enact comprehensive alcohol policies,” he said.
“Strengthening restrictions on alcohol availability is a critical component of harm reduction.
“By limiting access to alcohol, we can mitigate the adverse effects on individuals, families and communities.”
SAFER is an acronym for key policy points in reducing alcohol abuse.
‘S’ stands for ‘strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability which entails enacting and enforcing restrictions on commercial or public availability of alcohol through laws, policies and programmes which are important ways to reduce harmful use of alcohol’.
Such strategies provide essential measures to prevent easy access to alcohol by young people and other vulnerable and high-risk groups.
‘A’ stands for ‘advance and enforce drink driving counter measures since road users who are impaired by alcohol have a significantly higher risk of crashing’.
Enacting and enforcing strong drink-driving laws and low blood alcohol concentration limits via sobriety checkpoints and random breath testing will help to turn the tide.
‘F’ stands for ‘facilitate access to screening, brief interventions and treatment’.
Thus health professionals have an important role in helping people to reduce or stop their drinking to reduce health risks, while health services have to provide effective interventions for those in need of help and their families.
‘E’ stands for ‘enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion’.
Bans and comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion are impactful and cost-effective measures.
Enacting and enforcing bans or comprehensive restrictions on exposure to them in the digital world will bring public health benefits and help protect children, adolescents and abstainers from the pressure to start consuming alcohol.
‘R’ is a call to ‘raise prices on alcohol through excise duty and taxes as well as pricing policies’.
Alcohol taxation and pricing policies are among the most effective and cost-effective alcohol control measures.
An increase in excise taxes on alcoholic beverages is a proven measure to reduce harmful use of alcohol. It also serves as a budgetary instrument as it provides Government with additional revenue to offset the economic costs of harmful use of alcohol.
Zimonte said Government measures should go beyond Harare CBD.
“Beyond the Harare CBD, SAAPA emphasises that this vital measure should extend beyond the city limits,” he said.
“It is imperative that alcohol availability reduction becomes a nationwide endeavour, reaching every corner of our beloved Zimbabwe.
“Let no community be left behind by this pursuit of well-being,” said Zimonte, adding:
“SAAPA stands ready to collaborate with policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders to create evidence-based policies that prioritise public health and well-being,” he said.
“Together, we can build a safer and healthier Zimbabwe for all.”
But the closing down of stand-alone bottle stores could, however, lead to the return of sale of alcohol from car boots, which was rampant during the COVID-19 lockdown, when bars were ordered to close indefinitely.
Social commentator Teclar Gwisai called on the Government to strike a balance between restriction and over-policing.
“There is a risk of returning to the time when alcohol was sold from car boots around the city; where it was being consumed from car parks without ablution facilities; where public nuisance became the order of day,” she said.
“At least with licensed establishments, the Government is getting revenue, and has a way to control how they (bottle stores) operate.”
