At the adoption stage, 63 MPs voted for these amendments to the law, 22 abstained, and 15 voted against.
This law enters into force in 2024. November 1 As described in the law, a traditional alcoholic drink produced by a farmer is up to 65 percent. a drink with a volume concentration of ethyl alcohol, recognized as a product of national heritage, it is also established that in Lithuania it is allowed to produce naturally fermented alcoholic beverages with a volume concentration of ethyl alcohol of no more than 18 percent, and beer – no more than 9.5 percent, not for sale , but only to meet your own or family needs.
It is expected that such drinks will not be sold, but consumed only in tourist farms, for personal or family needs, and for tasting on the spot.
No more than 100 liters of traditional alcoholic beverages can be produced during a calendar year.
Drinks made by farmers will have to be bottled in 0.2-1 l containers.
These alcoholic beverages will have to be marked with clearly visible labels, which will indicate the number, the name and surname of the farmer who produced the drink, the date and time of production of the product, the composition and the volumetric concentration of ethyl alcohol.
According to the authors of the amendments, it would reduce crime in the country, as control over the volume of alcohol production and the quality of produced drinks would be ensured.
The decision received criticism from both the opposition and the governing representatives
Parliamentarian Agnė Širinskienė criticized such a decision, as the Alcohol Law should limit consumption, not encourage it.
Also, according to her, such legalization will contribute to the “hearing” of the regions.
“It is unfortunate that conservatives judge the state’s level of civilization by whether it is possible to brew alcohol at home. You have also done nothing for the regions in 4 years, and now, before the elections, you are trying to make Lithuanian villages even more heard, like Tsarist Russia or the Soviet Union did,” A. Širinskienė explained in the Seimas on Tuesday.
“The purpose of the alcohol law is to ensure a healthier society and reduce consumption,” she argued.
Vilius Semeška, a conservative who denied such accusations, claimed that many Western countries allow the production of traditional drinks, and that the tradition of strong alcohol is not an occupation legacy.
The idea that Lithuanians are mature enough to consume in moderation was supported by Seimas member Kęstutis Mažeika.
“Lithuania, like other Western European countries, will finally legalize the production of traditional alcoholic beverages. (…) This sufficiently strict regulation is beneficial for regions and villages”, claimed V. Semeška.
“I think we are mature enough so that people can feed guests and visitors with a natural product,” said K. Mažeika.
The changes have received criticism from the public prosecutor Morgana Daniele, who believes that the law has too few control mechanisms and will not ensure the suitability of drinks for consumption.
She emphasized that if the same mechanisms were proposed to regulate domestic cannabis, the parliament would not support the proposal.
“With this project, you are legalizing homemade vodka. But if it were a law allowing cannabis, would it satisfy? Would you be satisfied that there are no control mechanisms, that there is no control? The main argument is that people are hiding now because legal production is not allowed. Now there is a project where we are legalizing a substance that is fatal when prepared incorrectly. But there is no obligation to transport and check”, commented the free site.
Liberal Eugenijus Gentvilas criticized such a position as lacking consistency.
The politician himself claimed that he “votes for the legalization of both marijuana and cannabis.”
20 Seimas members in 2021. proposed to allow home-made vodka and other traditional alcoholic beverages weaker than 65 degrees to be prepared, stored and sold by farmers registered in the Lithuanian Farmers Register who are engaged in rural tourism and are certified traditional artisans.
There are 300 certified producers of national heritage food products in Lithuania, of which about 70 are farmers.
2024-09-03 12:23:30