Lithuanian experience in alcohol
control policy development
Aurelijus Veryga, MD, PhD, Assoc. prof.
Expert of the Parliament Committee of Health
of the Republic of Lithuania
4th EUROPEAN ALCOHOL POLICY CONFERENCE, BRUSSELS 21-22 JUNE, 2010
Alcohol policy
• Official alcohol control policy started in year
1996 after introduction of Alcohol Control
Law.
• At that time alcohol production was owned by
state
• Alcohol selling time was restricted
• There was almost no alcohol advertisement
Policy development 1996 -2007
• Alcohol production companies were sold to private business;
• Alcohol advertisement was allowed and restricted only in content,
beer advertisement was associated with most popular sport in the
country – basketball;
• Alcohol sale was allowed 24 hours;
• There was allowed to sell alcohol in fuel stations, sanatoriums, living
houses;
• Tax reductions for cider and small brewers were introduced;
• Excise tax for spirits was reduced by 40% in 1999;
• In 2004 after joining EU import tax disappeared;
• This happened in the context of more than 20% of income grow every
year until 2007;
• There were 16 5000 licenses to sell alcohol given to the business.
Percentage of 11-15 years old children reported has been
drunk 2 or more times in a life, year 1998
Izraelis
Šveicarija
Portugalija
Prancūzija
Lietuva
Vengrija
Graikija
Lenkija
Estija
Fl.Belgija
Čekija
Latvija
Rusija
Airija
Vokietija
JAV
Pr.Belgija
Švedija
Norvegija
Austrija
Slovakija
Kanada
Š.Airija
Suomija
Anglija
Škotija
Danija
Grenlandija
Velsas
4
6
7
8
9
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
12
13
13
14
14
15
15
15
17
19
21
25
26
27
29
30
35
50
HBSC, 2006
Boys
Berniukai
Girls
Mergaitės
%
%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
40
30
20
10
0
10
11
12
13
15
15
16
16
16
16
17
18
19
19
19
20
20
21
22
22
22
24
28
29
29
30
31
34
40
0
10
20
30
40
50
Izraelis
Šveicarija
Graikija
Prancūzija
Norvegija
Rusija
Vokietija
Portugalija
Švedija
Fl.Belgija
JAV
Lietuva
Vengrija
Lenkija
Čekija
Kanada
Estija
Airija
Austrija
Latvija
Pr.Belgija
Suomija
Š.Airija
Grenlandija
Slovakija
Škotija
Anglija
Danija
Velsas
Percentage of 11-15 years old children reported has been
drunk 2 or more times in a life, year 2006
Izraelis
Makedonija
Malta
Šveicarija
Graikija
Italija
Prancūzija
JAV
Portugalija
Liuksemburgas
Nyderlandai
Rumunija
Švedija
Belgija
Ispanija
Vokietija
Norvegija
Islandija
Slovėnija
Lenkija
Airija
Kroatija
Čekijos Respublika
Vengrija
Austrija
Ukraina
Slovakija
Kanada
Suomija
Rusijos Federacija
Latvija
Grenlandija
Estija
Bulgarija
Danija
Lietuva
Jungtinė Karalystė
Turkija
%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
4,83
4,97
7,07
7,37
7,40
7,43
8,03
8,27
8,43
8,53
8,97
9,57
9,83
10,03
10,23
11,27
11,67
12,17
12,33
12,43
12,83
13,70
13,87
13,90
14,13
14,77
15,10
16,63
18,53
18,53
19,17
19,20
19,67
20,27
21,77
22,13
25,10
n/d
30
HBSC, 2006
Boys
Berniukai
Girls
Mergaitės
%
20
10
0
8,93
9,43
9,80
10,00
10,13
10,33
11,10
11,27
11,73
11,90
12,27
12,30
12,53
12,60
12,67
13,33
15,33
15,70
16,07
17,37
17,77
18,37
18,73
19,30
19,63
19,77
21,10
22,30
22,40
25,00
25,30
25,40
25,53
27,27
27,60
29,00
29,33
n/d
0
10
20
30
JAV
Malta
Norvegija
Ispanija
Graikija
Švedija
Makedonija
Italija
Liuksemburgas
Prancūzija
Islandija
Šveicarija
Izraelis
Portugalija
Nyderlandai
Vokietija
Belgija
Airija
Kanada
Čekijos Respublika
Austrija
Vengrija
Grenlandija
Slovakija
Suomija
Lenkija
Slovėnija
Ukraina
Rusijos Federacija
Kroatija
Rumunija
Jungtinė Karalystė
Danija
Latvija
Bulgarija
Lietuva
Estija
Turkija
9-14 old children alcohol intoxications
(hospital cases with diagnostic code T-51)
350
329
300
269
246
250
206
200
Number of cases
149
150
Cases per 100.000 population
105.2
100
84
81.2
81.1
58.9
50
40.6
36
17,3 times increase
in 6 years
21.9
19
4.6
9
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
According to number of alcohol
psychosis the real consumption was 20 l
Real sittuation
Has been planed according to
Lithuanian Health Program
Policy development 2007 - 2009
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Year 2008 was announced as “Year of sobriety” by the Lithuanian Parliament
Some financial recourses were allocated to informational campaigns
Alcohol advertisement was banned during day time (from 6 AM till 11 PM) in TV
and radio
Excise tax was raised for alcohol and tax reductions for small brewers and cider
disappeared
Alcohol selling time was reduced and it was forbidden to sell alcohol from 8 AM till
10 PM
Public discussions about alcohol problems started
Public organizations became active in alcohol control area, coalition of 25 NGO’s
started active policy work
Fines for drunk drivers were increased, confiscation of cars was introduced (about
800 cars are confiscated each year), removal of the driving license introduced
Increased excise taxes come in to the place together with economical crisis and
rapid decrease in people income
Alcohol related problems dynamic (cases per 100 000
population)
250
27 % decrease in 2 years
128.3
200
111.6
113.5
97.2
150
93.4
76.7
65
100
57.8
31% decrease in 2 years
62.1
77.8
83.5
81.4
72.3
69.7
50
56.9
56.5
43.8
47.3
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
Alcohol toxic effect T-51 (.0-.9)
2005
2006
2007
Alcoholic psychosis F10.4-7
2008
2009
Dynamic of alcohol related problems
(in the year 2009)
• 456 people less died (30% decrease) from
alcohol related causes
• 1,8 times decrease of alcoholic
cardiomiopathy
• 7,5% decrease of social risk families with
drinking problems
• 41% decrease of drunk drivers caused road
accidents
Major problems unsolved
• Illegal production and illegal sale of alcohol
• Uncontrolled sales to minors
New regulations coming to place
• Ban of alcohol advertisement in 2012
• Ban of alcohol sales in kiosks in 2012
New pro alcohol proposals
• To extend alcohol selling hours
• To legalize home made spirit production
• To close State Tobacco and Alcohol Control
Agency
New alcohol control proposals
• To allow alcohol sales only in specialized shops
or units
• To increase legal age to 21
• New regulation for packaging and labeling