Fines for selling alcohol to minors: what changes are the authorities preparing
The State Duma is preparing an initiative to tighten responsibility for the purchase and transfer of alcohol to minors. The bill provides for a tenfold increase in fines for adults who involve children and teenagers in alcohol consumption. The authors of the initiative believe that the current measures are ineffective and do not deter violators, but experts warn that an increase in fines alone is not enough without strengthening control over compliance with the law. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Why is it proposed to tighten the responsibility for buying alcohol for children
On September 11, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, drew attention to the inadmissibility of buying alcohol for minors in his Telegram channel, noting that such actions are carried out either by persons with criminal intentions or those who do not realize the possible consequences.
According to him, the indulgence of children and adolescents in the purchase of alcohol actually becomes an impetus for offenses and tragedies. Referring to the data of the Investigative Committee, Slutsky noted that the proportion of minors who committed hooliganism while intoxicated had increased significantly.
"The tragedy that occurred in the Irkutsk region is still being heard, when due to the huge amount of alcohol purchased by an adult acquaintance, a drunk teenager stabbed four friends, injured four more and started a fire. Unfortunately, there are many such examples," Leonid Slutsky wrote.
Draft law on a tenfold increase in alcohol fines for minors
Parliamentarians have taken the initiative to tighten responsibility for the purchase of alcohol for minors: it is proposed to increase the current fines tenfold at once. The bill was submitted to the State Duma on December 12.
Now, in accordance with the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, adults who purchase alcohol for a child face a fine from 1.5 thousand to 3 thousand rubles, and parents — from 4 thousand to 5 thousand rubles. In the new version, the amounts will increase to 15-30 thousand and 40-50 thousand rubles, respectively.
Leonid Slutsky, in an interview with Izvestia, stated that the current measures of responsibility do not have the necessary effect and do not deter violators. According to him, it is necessary to establish administrative responsibility specifically for the purchase of alcohol in the interests of minors, as well as for the transfer of alcohol to children in order to involve them in drinking.
Slutsky stressed that it is about protecting future generations and ending the practice in which minimal fines allow adults to violate the law with impunity.
Why fines are not enough
Experts point out that an increase in fines alone will not solve the problem completely: at some points of implementation, the law is not perceived as binding in practice.
State Duma deputy, member of the Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs Svetlana Bessarab said that the initiative to increase fines tenfold for buying alcohol for children is aimed at protecting minors, but one should not rely only on tougher penalties.
— We are not familiar with this initiative yet, but we would not rely too much on the fact that large fines will protect against non-compliance with the law. In those places where its execution is formally treated, and unfortunately we have such points, they do not pay attention to such issues. They primarily rely on the lack of evidence about the purchase. I think we need to include public control more often," Bessarab said.
She recalled that earlier, public inspections and control purchases proved to be an effective mechanism when sellers were identified who were ready to sell alcohol to a child.
— At one time, the People's Front was very good at, as they say, encouraging such unscrupulous sellers when they checked such things specifically with control purchases. They came and checked who was ready to sell alcohol to the child and who was not. It helped a lot back then. I think that public control is needed, parental control is needed," the expert concluded.
Bessarab stressed that violations of the law against children must be stopped immediately — the police and Rospotrebnadzor must be called in order to record the sale and bring violators to justice.
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