OREANDA-NEWS Restrictions imposed in Russia on the sale of alcohol have led to a two-fold decrease in its consumption, said Tatiana Klimenko, director of the NSC of Narcology, a branch of the NMIC of Psychiatry and Narcology named after V.P. Serbian Ministry of Health of Russia.

"For the last 15 years, restrictions on the sale of alcohol by age, time and place of sale have been introduced in the country. And these measures, together with a systematic information policy on the formation of skills and commitment to a healthy lifestyle and social success among the population, have led to a halving of per capita alcohol consumption, a reduction in drug-related morbidity and mortality associated with alcohol consumption," Klimenko told Interfax.

According to her, many years of foreign and national experience in the implementation of anti-alcohol policy has proved that measures to limit the availability of alcohol always lead to a decrease in its consumption.

Klimenko noted that buyers often drink alcohol near the place of purchase and thereby set a negative example to children on the playground; violate the safety of these children; violate the conditions of a safe environment for all residents of the house; violate sanitary rules for staying in public places.

In addition, according to her, the presence of a liquor store in the house creates conditions for accidental and unplanned purchase of alcohol.

The Izvestia newspaper earlier reported that the authorities opposed the ban on the sale of alcohol in shops and cafes on the first floors of residential buildings. The State Duma proposed to allow the general meeting of residents to limit the work of such points, but the Ministry of Finance's negative response to this bill was supported by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Justice.