They don't drink it in the capital now

Alcohol -containing energy cocktails is prohibited now to sell now in Moscow

From April 1, in Moscow and the Moscow region, a ban on the retail sale of the so -called alcohol energy cocktails is introduced. The metropolitan region is only in the second ten of those who decided on such a measure. An active struggle against alcohol soda in aluminum banks began in Russia in 2012 an attempt to adopt a prohibitive federal law . But due to the doubtful constitutionality of such a ban, inconsistencies of legislation under the Customs Union and, probably, under pressure from manufacturers of the product, the solution to the problem was given to the regions.

The fact that alcoholic energy is precisely the problem, persistently kept the “young guard of United Russia”, then close to power, advocates of a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to this status of the main lobbyists, the issue of the ban on the sale of alcoholic energy cocktails in Russia has become political.

Alcoholic energy - this group of low -alcohol drinks, which is considered “nicheva” - is used, mainly, young people, students or unpretentious representatives of the poor layers of the population, who want to get a charge of vivacity intoxication, as they say, on the go. Therefore, the fight against alcoholic cocktails is submitted in Russia as an act socially significant - as a struggle for healthy sober youth. Economic indicators of the turnover of alcohol -containing power engineers indicate that if it is possible to save part of the youth with such a ban, then a very small part - this proves with numbers in the hands the head of the Center for Research of the Federal and Regional Alcohol Market Vadim Drobiz :

None of the manufacturers or sellers offer to drink 10-20 cans at a time, and one or two banks of such a drink is unlikely to cause damage to health

- The segment of this market is so insignificant, so miserable that it’s just funny to talk about it. Last year, 10 billion liters of beer were drunk in Russia, almost a billion 250 million liters of vodka and liquor products. The share of low -alcohol drinks accounts for 230 million liters, of which energy drinks are about 150 million liters. About 20 million liters were drunk in Moscow. Now several regions of Russia are prohibited by the sale of these products. This, in principle, is completely illegal, contradicts the constitution. The Federal Antimonopoly Service opposed this ban, even sued some regions. The Court lost the Krasnodar Territory, but won the court at the Arkhangelsk region. And then she just stopped this judicial practice. Apparently, I received an indication from above for one simple reason: there is nothing much to create public opinion by officials and deputies, and they gave this topic to regional officials and deputies for their PR. At the federal level, such a law is not adopted and not going to adopt. For many years this "body" has been going on, but it turns out that only now some medical studies have begun about the dangers or harmlessness of energy cocktails. I do not think that these experiments will lead to a negative result, since none of the manufacturers or sellers offer to drink 10-20 cans at a time, and one or two banks of such a drink is unlikely to cause damage to health. It is such doses that implies normal, moderate consumption of products. The regions are actively promoting on this topic, youth public organizations and even adult deputies are opposed to sale.

According to Vadim Drobiz, one cannot talk about a serious economic effect from the cessation of the sale of alcoholic power engineers. This industry has already been clamped very seriously, from 2003-2004 it has lost almost 50 percent in the volume of production and consumption. But, according to the interlocutor of Radio Liberty, it is necessary to judge the results of the ban on other indicators:

The consumer will continue to drink, but other products - beer, wine drinks, surrogates

- The structure of consumption - nothing will change significantly in it. The experience of the Krasnodar Territory, where the ban is operating for more than two and a half years, shows: nothing obviously has improved there during this time. After all, they say that these prohibitions are introduced in order to reduce youth alcoholization. Last year, the youth drank no more than 50 million liters of these power engineers, and the same youth drank 2 billion liters. If you fight against something, then, obviously, the goal was chosen incorrectly. I am not an adversary of beer. I'm just trying to prioritize in place. It is probably necessary to carefully consider the experience of the Krasnodar Territory, and then it will become clear that nothing particularly good in the field of alcohol consumption after the ban has happened there. Young people are quite inventive and not so dumb. If something is needed instead of alcoholic power engineers, strong alcohol will begin to produce, mix it with something. There will be almost the same product, but not factory produced. And it is still unknown where he will buy strong alcohol, because the official sale of his youth is also prohibited ... I am not a supporter of early or universal alcoholization, but when a step is taken, you need to look at the consumer’s return behavior. And the consumer will continue to drink, but other products - beer, wine drinks, surrogates ... The ban on the sale of alcoholic power engineers will not change the situation.

The analyst of the alcohol market Vadim Drobiz raised, perhaps, the key to talk about the dangers of alcohol theme: Any alcohol should be consumed in moderation. The founder of the Nation Protection, Sergei Sushinsky, draws attention precisely to the fact that in the case of alcoholic cocktails it is very difficult to control the dose and rely on sensations: “deceives” the consumer with a sweet taste and funny bubbles the product itself. And young girls very often become victims of this deception, says Sergey Sushinsky :

This is a sweet drink that “gives along the balls” because of alcohol, and at the same time, the taste of alcohol is not particularly felt. In fact, alcoholic energy - weapons of mass destruction

- A person (usually a young man), drinking an alcohol energy, does not feel the effect of alcohol in full. That is, they drink energy one, two, three, four banks - and, as it seems to them, everything is in order. All this does not happen in the evening, as is usually the case with other alcohol, and this can be daytime. They drink instead of soda. Both caffeine and other energy components stimulate, encourage a person, but at the same time alcohol destroys the body. Alcohol plus energy is a destructive combination that simply mows our youth, including girls who may want to become mothers. Alcohol very seriously destroys the reproductive function of a woman, even if she is not yet pregnant. Therefore, such a ban is important. At the same time, I want to emphasize that ordinary energy, non -alcoholic, in moderate quantities - this is a safe product, we are only talking about alcohol energy. And it’s right that they are prohibited.

- Analysts of the alcohol industry provide data that the alcohol soda segment is not large in the market and drink it less than beer ...

Beer is a different taste, a different consumption format. Even if people drink beer, they will not drink so much

- If the alcohol industry protects alcoholic energy, then it makes a huge profit from them. And this is precisely the first evidence that these alcoholic energy are popular. I, according to my observations, have already seen for three years that young people have been walking along the streets with these power engineers containing alcohol in the volume of, say, five percent. This is not even kvass, where 1.5% can be. These power engineers have already come into life as jokes and jokes, songs . Jaga - this is how one of the brands in slang is called, and demotivators on this subject go on the Internet. 15-16-year-old schoolgirls buy, drink and believe that it is safe. This is a sweet drink that “gives according to the balls” because of alcohol, and at the same time it is not particularly felt in the taste of alcohol, drinking it stimulates, because it includes caffeine, taurine adds, vitamins-and all this taste very sweet and looks bright. In fact, alcoholic energy is a weapon of mass destruction, and they need to get rid of them as soon as possible.

- But young people can find a replacement for a forbidden drink.

Ordinary energy, non -alcoholic, in moderation - this is a safe product

- Will the youth switch to other alcoholic beverages? I think that in such a quantity and in this format it is unlikely. In the case of alcohol, we see a jar containing cocktails, it is indistinguishable in appearance from a can with a simple power engine or some kind of gas. And beer is a different taste, another consumption format. Even if people will drink beer, they will not drink so much, because beer has a relaxing effect, and if a person plans to further organize his own, then either he will drink little beer, or do it at the end of the day, or not drink it at all. In this case, some kind of transition to beer can happen, but it will not be critical. It is good at least that it will be easier for people to control the amount of alcohol that they consume.

Now the ban on the sale of alcoholic power engineers operates in 14 regions of Russia, another 12 intend to do this in the near future. In Moscow, the adoption of a prohibitive law regarding alcoholic energy cocktails took place at the initiative of the United Russia faction in the Moscow City Duma. Simultaneously with Moscow, the ban on the sale of these drinks also enters in the Moscow region, deputies of the regional parliament also adopted a similar law.

• 

  Evgenia Nazarets

  Acting director of the Russian service Radio Liberty

  Nazaretse@rferl.org