Advertising of alcoholic drinks to be restricted in Moldova

Chisinau, 7 December /MOLDPRES/ - The advertising of alcoholic drinks at the TV and radio will be banned during the day and in the evening at prime-time hours and will be allowed only in the evening, during 22:00-7:00. The parliament today adopted a draft law to this end in the final reading with the votes of 59 MPs.
Under the document, in periodical publications, advertising for alcoholic beverages will be prohibited on the first page, as well as on the cover. Also, alcoholic drinks will not be able to be promoted nearby schools, hospitals, churches, sports grounds, penitentiaries, cemeteries, military units and construction sites.     
At the same time, this advertising should not target minors and the drinks could not be promoted as products with therapeutic properties or of treating diseases.
The law establishes that the alcoholic beverages will be able to be promoted in zones set by local authorities for organization of events.
According to the World Health Organization, Moldova is among the countries with the highest consumption of alcohol per capita – 16.8 litres per year. The rate of deaths triggered by alcohol is of 222 per 100,000 residents.  
Statistic data shows that about nine per cent of the men and three per cent of the women daily consume alcohol in Moldova and the consumption of house wine stands at 28.8 per cent.  
As many as 47,000 people suffering from alcoholism are presently recorded in Moldova’s hospitals.
(Reporter A. Zara, editor M. Jantovan)