Speaking on the ‘Health Hazards of Spurious Liquor’, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio stated that the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989 was enacted with the intention of addressing social issues related to alcohol abuse. He said the Act envisaged that reducing alcohol consumption will in turn lower rates of alcohol-related diseases, thereby improving overall community health among others and the policy was put in tune with the circumstances of the time.
The Chief Minister said the Statute has been in place for over three decades and said that it cannot be called successful. He said efforts to ban alcohol have led to unintended and often detrimental consequences that highlight the challenges of enforcing such policies - the rise of black market, increased criminal activity such as rise in syndicate suppliers, spurious and inferior quality among many others. He said that the State Government can only regulate and restrict sale and flow of liquor but the Government cannot outrightly prohibit individuals from drinking which is essentially a matter of personal choice and decision. He added that it is also a subject that is largely pivoted on the dynamics of demand and supply.
Rio stated that if we see the spatial history of the prohibition policy, it has been observed that the policy has been largely effective in rural areas in the State while in the urban areas, huge failure has been witnessed. He said that the Church has also been vocal on this matter for which he appreciated the apprehensions of the Church. He added that the State Government has been consulting with all sections of the society on important public matters such as this before taking any decision.
He said that this needs a collective resolution and participation from every section of the community. He called upon everyone to understand that the State agencies such as the Police or the Excise department alone cannot address the challenge themselves. He said that few people have actually benefitted out of this system since the business went underground and bootleggers stood out as the major beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister said the common citizens at large have suffered with many citizens suffering from various diseases owing to consumption of illicit liquor and added that many men and women lose their lives at a very young age on account of drinking spurious liquor because they are accessible only to inferior and adulterated liquor.
He also cited various examples where people lost their lives due to consumption of spurious liquor. Rio said unregulated alcohol in the black market is often of poor quality and poses severe health risks, including poisoning and death. He stated that regulation will allow for strict quality measures, reducing the incidence of health complications associated with unsafe alcohol consumption.
Instead of pointing fingers at one another, Rio called upon everyone to come together and reason together so that they can collectively and resolutely address the problem and make the society free from the hazards of spurious and illicit liquor. He called on everyone to have an open mind and positively share views and inputs to make the community healthy and resilient.