Seanad debates
Wednesday, 18 June 2003
Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2003: Second Stage.
What is different now is that young people have more disposable income and there is a raft of new products with a high alcohol content available, especially targeted at youngsters. It is also the case that young people do not seem to have any difficulty getting their hands on such products. Now more than ever, the pressure seems to be on young people to be part of the crowd. This is the reason so many of them have their first drink, as I have discovered from young constituents of mine in north Kildare. They tell me it is not cool to say one does not drink. Their peers expect them to be part of that gang, which involves drinking copious amounts of alcohol. It is difficult to outlaw or legislate against peer pressure. However, we can prevent teenagers' excessive use of alcohol, which is why this Bill is so important. It aims to make it more difficult for teenagers to get served and offers greater punishments to those who serve them.
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