German drugs czar wants alcohol, tobacco ads restricted

Germany's federal anti-drugs commissioner, Burkhard Blienert, on Thursday called for a stark reduction in advertising of alcohol, tobacco and sports betting across the country.

Blienert said the changes were a matter of public health, as 150,000 people in Germany die each year from alcohol and tobacco use. He also noted that an estimated one in eight German adults has a gambling problem.

"Every adult drinks on average a whole bucket of pure alcohol a year," Blienert said.

As a first step, he suggested that Germany should ban online, social media, television and radio advertising of alcohol products.

"Around the clock would be best, but at least during prime time,'' he added.

But tighter restrictions are also needed for tobacco ads, Blienert said. In particular, he noted that tobacco advertising is still displayed at supermarket checkouts and kiosks.

Alcohol and tobacco ads must disappear from the view of children and young people in Germany, he said.

The anti-drug czar also called for a ban on advertising sports betting on TV, radio and the internet before 9 p.m., a measure already in place for online casino advertisements.

No other country is 'so liberal'

But Blienert also went as far as suggesting that the ages of legal alcohol consumption should be raised. 

Currently, children from the age of 16 can drink beer and wine, but they have to be 18 to legally drink spirits and all other beverages with high-alcohol content.

The commissioner said he wanted to bring the age of legal consumption to 18 years of age across the board.

"We need a real paradigm shift, a change of thinking, when it comes to drugs and addiction policy,'' he said.

Blienert highlighted that that no other European country is as liberal when it comes to alcohol and tobacco as Germany, noting that rules allowing children to drink alcohol from the age of 14 if their parents are present need to be changed.

Germany set to legalize cannabis

At the same time, Blienert defended the German government's plan to legalize cannabis, saying that its aim is still to protect young people. 

He noted that the standardization and regulation of cannabis allows for the substance to be sold from legitimate stores, rather than dealers in a city park, saying the latter carries more health risks for consumers.

Blienert said that moving forward, Germany must also focus on helping those with substance abuse problems. 

He called for an expansion and simplification of care services, so that those affected can get the best help and without institutional hurdles.

jcg/nm (AP, dpa, EPD)