Earlier in the week, Delhi announced a reduction in the legal age for drinking. It was reduced from 25 to 21. The scaling down of the legal drinking age was recommended by a Delhi government’s group of ministers (GoM) on excise policy reforms, which got the approval of the Delhi Cabinet. Now in Goa the legal age for drinking is 18. It is the lowest legal drinking age in India and this is applicable in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Sikkim and UTs of Puducherry, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Yes, Goa is very popular in the rest of the country as a tourist hotspot. Its parties are popular all over the country. Alcohol plays a very important role in the enjoyment. For the youth of Goa, partying every weekend with friends is an activity taken with some seriousness. It is not uncommon for alcohol to be consumed in inordinate amounts.
Advocate Caroline Collasso felt it was absolutely fine to have the limit set at 18. She said “I think if they can be considered mature to vote, then why can’t they be allowed to consume alcohol. My worry is not that. It is that the rules are not being followed. It is not unusual to find shops selling alcohol near educational institutions and places of worship. That is against the rules. And yes, are these outlets checking the ids of the young people who come to their outlets to buy hard liquor. Are the police and the excise departments doing their duty and checking bars and restaurants if they are serving alcohol to underage patrons. That is the problem I am concerned about. Lowering the age to consume alcohol is fine like I said earlier. This issue is much deeper than drinking at 18. There is enforcement despite the laws being in place”.
The views articulated by young people were interesting. Christopher D’souza from who is 20 said he was aware of the legal drinking age in Goa. He felt it would be better if it was increased to 21. Christopher said “I attend parties with friends once every two months but no, I don’t drink. I feel at 18 they are still deeply involved in academics and it could affect them. Drinking alcohol at such a young age can have serious problems and yes it can affect the kidney. I have friends who consume alcohol but I don’t and I don’t really see myself consuming it.”
Ved Madkaikar from Ponda does not party like any 22 year old but enjoys consuming the occasional beer. He felt the drinking age set at 18 was not right in his opinion. He said “I think it should be increased to 19 or 20. At 18 they are too hyper. They are just getting out of adolescence and they are not aware of the consequences”.
When asked if they could be allowed to vote and get a driving license, why should there be restrictions on consuming alcohol he said voting was very different and it involved thinking and taking a responsible decision. Drinking with friends at that age could mean being pushed to consume more alcohol which could cause problems of its own. When asked if he had purchased alcohol from outlets he laughed and said he had in the past and no one had ever asked him for an id. He said “Why would they. Its business for them and they will not turn anyone away from their shop. It would mean that business going elsewhere and a loss of income.”
Adriel Almeida a resident of Margao and all of 21 said he did not drink and did not intend to drink in the future considering he came from a family teetotalers. He said he had friends who consumed alcohol and most of them were habitual drinkers. He said “I generally avoid such parties but I occasionally attend. I have gone with them to outlets to purchase alcohol and not once was I ever asked to show id. I don’t really see myself consuming alcohol in the future.”
David de Souza of Titos, one of the biggest players in the state said they would occasionally ask for id. He said “We have a restaurant and bar license so we cannot stop anyone from entering the outlet. If it was a nightclub I could but then that that is not the case. Many young people come with their parents but yes we notice young people hanging around the counter we certainly ask for their id”.
An entirely different perspective was given by Pradeep, a recovering alcoholic. He said “Young people many claim they drink responsibly but it will over a period of time take over their lives. It is a disease that can take over your life. This industry has come into our lives in different ways. They sponsor events in schools and we don’t even realise it. Where is the antipathy to alcohol in society? It can destroy the youth. These are my personal views.”
Drinking amongst the young is a problem he said and he cited examples of students in schools consuming country liquor during the recess. He ended by saying society had to tackle this problem of drinking head on if it wanted to have a healthy society in the future.