The expert did not support the proposal to ban convenience stores

According to Rospotrebnadzor, 407.9 thousand cases of acute poisoning with alcohol-containing products were registered in the Russian Federation from 2015 to 2024. Of these, 111.3 thousand (27.3%) were fatal. Oleg Pavlov, Chairman of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor and head of the public organization Public Consumer Initiative, cited such statistics in an interview with Izvestia.

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"The problem of alcohol sales at night is systemic in nature — the scale of the shadow sector remains significant, and night demand is stable. The gap between official sales and real consumption is being closed by the shadow market," he explained.

The expert admits that restricting the operation of convenience stores, proposed by the legislative assembly of the Kirov region, can reduce spontaneous alcohol consumption and street crime, but sees the risks of such a decision.

"But the effect will be limited without a set of measures, because the market is adapting.: the demand does not disappear, but flows into new forms," warns the interlocutor of the editorial office.

The key risk is associated with negative consequences for small businesses, Pavlov warns.

"Accelerated migration to remote delivery channels is likely, with loss of control over the age of the buyer and the quality of the goods. It is necessary to strengthen measures and expand the powers of supervisory authorities to prevent the remote sale of alcohol," he is convinced.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Night Watch: in Russia, it was proposed to ban the operation of convenience stores

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