SAACS Urges Vendors Not To Sell, Serve Alcohol To Children

The Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat (SAACS) has called on alcohol vendors not to sell or serve alcohol to children, declaring that the safety of children matters. “Sell alcohol responsibly,” a SAACS advisory stated. The advisory preceded the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Cricket matches in Saint Lucia and Carnival celebrations. A 2018 alcohol misuse survey among school adolescents in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia indicated that 42.7 percent of the students reported current alcohol use. According to the survey data from 3,847 adolescents whose average age was 14.6, 27.9 percent were ever drunk, and 11.4 percent had trouble with alcohol use. Just last week, Acting Inspector Zachary Hippolyte of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) Community Relations Branch (CRB) expressed concern over alcohol abuse among young people in Saint Lucia. “One of the most abused substances by our children is alcohol,” Hippolyte declared during an appearance on the DBS Television programme, Newsmaker Live. Hippolyte told programme host Timothy Poleon that children buy alcohol, although the Liquor License Act prohibits sale to them. He lamented that at major concerts and mass crowd events, youngsters buy and consume alcohol, especially in rural areas. The Acting Inspector disclosed...