2024-09-01 23:14:27
Wine and beer from the age of 16, perhaps even earlier in the presence of parents: for many young Germans, this is part of everyday life. The addiction commissioner warns of serious consequences.
According to the Federal Drug Commissioner, drinking alcohol should be taboo for minors. “The consumption of alcohol should only be permitted from the age of 18, when people reach the age of majority,” said the Federal Government’s Drug and Addiction Commissioner, Burkhard Blienert (SPD), in the Düsseldorf-based “Rheinische Post”. He thereby reiterated a demand he had been making for some time.
The age limit of 18 already applies to tobacco products, explained Blienert. Currently, the Youth Protection Act allows young people to drink alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine in public when accompanied by a legal guardian. “I don’t think supervised drinking from the age of 14 is a good idea,” said Blienert, adding: “Alcohol is a cell poison that takes effect from the first drop. (…) There is no alcohol consumption that is harmless. Alcohol is of course particularly strong in adolescents who are still in the physical development stage. It has been proven to damage the brain.”
The Conference of Health Ministers of the German States discussed the issue in June and decided that experts should take a closer look at the rules in the Youth Protection Act by November. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also spoke out in favor of a ban on so-called supervised drinking for 14- to 16-year-olds.
“I think it’s very good that the health ministers of all countries are now at least discussing a strict ‘from 16’ rule. It was worth pushing the debate forward,” Blienert told the “Rheinische Post”.