Beer is to be legally classified as an alcoholic drink in Russia for the first time as the Kremlin forges ahead with the toughest anti-alcohol campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The beverage is technically classified as a foodstuff, an anomaly that has allowed producers to avoid a sweeping new crackdown on alcohol advertising and night-time sales, but a new bill that passed its first reading in the lower house of the Russian parliament will abolish beer's special status. The ministry of health's chief specialist on alcohol and drug abuse said:
The new law would restrict beer sales at night, ban its sale in or close to many public places such as schools, and limit cans and bottles to a maximum size of 0.33 litres.
Although vodka, the national tipple, remains extremely popular, Russia's beer consumption has more than tripled in the past 15 years, boosted by low prices, ready availability and lax regulation.
The beverage is technically classified as a foodstuff, an anomaly that has allowed producers to avoid a sweeping new crackdown on alcohol advertising and night-time sales, but a new bill that passed its first reading in the lower house of the Russian parliament will abolish beer's special status. The ministry of health's chief specialist on alcohol and drug abuse said:
"Normalising the beer production market and classifying it as alcohol is totally the right thing to do and will boost the health of our population."
The new law would restrict beer sales at night, ban its sale in or close to many public places such as schools, and limit cans and bottles to a maximum size of 0.33 litres.
Although vodka, the national tipple, remains extremely popular, Russia's beer consumption has more than tripled in the past 15 years, boosted by low prices, ready availability and lax regulation.
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