Alcohol kills about 1000 New Zealanders each year, says a leading doctor who is calling for a clampdown on sales. Geoff Robinson – part of a team who recently claimed that if alcohol was oduced today it would be classified as a Class B drug alongside amphetamines and morphine – is calling for alcohol to be removed from supermarket shelves and sold only in specialist shops.

Dr Robinson, Capital and Coast District Health Board’s chief medical officer, also called for a ban on all alcohol advertising. He supported measures proposed in a Law Commission review of alcohol legislation being considered by Parliament, but said they did not go far enough. A group of prominent New Zealanders led by former governor-general Sir Paul Reeves are supporting the “once-in-a-generation-opportunity” Law Commission report to help solve the alcohol “crisis”.

The report recommends raising alcohol taxes, further restricting advertising, increasing the legal drinking age and lowering the legal blood alcohol limit. Dr Robinson’s calls come as the Coroner’s Office reports that 1128 alcohol-related deaths were referred to it in the past decade. There were 137 cases referred to the office last year. Dr Robinson said these were just a few of the alcohol-related deaths in New Zealand. He estimated there were about 1000 a year, including deaths from alcohol-related accidents, trauma and organ damage. About 700,000 New Zealand adults, or 25 per cent of the adult population, frequently binge drank – having six or more standard drinks on a single occasion – while 2 to 4 per cent of the population were alcohol dependent.

Though alcohol caused different damage from illegal drugs such as morphine and amphetamines, the harm it caused – including organ failure, accidents and death – was no less severe and if it were put through the same criteria as illicit drugs, it would be a Class B drug, Dr Robinson said.

Tom Hunt                  Dom Post 30/6/2010

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