Minister of Health says it is vital to lower alcohol consumption in Latvia

It is vital to lower alcohol consumption in Latvia, said Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds.
It affects both public security and public health. In Lithuania, for example, restrictions on alcohol helped lower consumption, said the minister.
He stressed that the planned restrictions are meant to limit alcohol consumption among youngsters. “The young are our future,” the minister added.
Alcohol consumption in Latvia has reached a level of an epidemic. This is why it is necessary to implement immediate and complex measures in order to lower this index, as concluded by the National Council for Prevention of Alcoholism. During the council’s meeting, participants discussed alcohol restrictions. However, no new initiatives were suggested.
Studies of Latvian schoolchildren’s health habits indicate that the proportion of girls who drink alcohol is up, exceeding the proportion of boys for the first time.
Data from the Emergency Health Service for 2023 indicates there is an increase in the number of calls involving children who have consumer alcohol.
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