Swig leaves them dry but not on a high

KOCHI: ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’, seems to be the axiom to be followed by the youth in the wake of the state government's policy to raise the age limit for procuring alcohol to 21 years. Most of them have already cast aside the policy saying it’s something difficult to implement. The measure to produce mandatory documents while buying alchohol has met with mixed reaction from the youth.“The state government’s decision to prove age through producing ID cards at the outlets is definitely not a wise one as the age can be fabricated. It does not require big efforts to forge an ID card to buy alchohol. And besides, do you think the staff at the Bevco outlets would have the patience to check anybody’s age proof? The rule is good, but how well can it be implemented is the important question,” said Deepu D S, Maharaja’s College.   Belgin Baby, a third-year BCom student at Maharaja’s College, feels that the measure by the state government is not sensible. “There is no use raising the age limit to 21 for consuming alcohol. If a teenager wants  alcohol, he would not hesitate to ask an older person to buy him the bottle.” A student of the Government Law College believes that the decision of the government will not do any help to youngsters as it does not deal with the grim realities. He feels that a ban is not a solution. “The most important thing for the government is to address the root cause of the matter, like  why do youngsters have  a tendency to drink alcohol at such a young age? rather than completely banning them from the drink.” Priyanka, a second-year BCom student of St Teresa’s College, said that the most important thing is to implement the rule strictly. Though there is a rule to wear helmet, the motorist wears it only when they see the police.  But there are also a few who think that the government has taken the right step. Such a ban will help keep minors away from alchohol, they said.

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