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 that the youngsters sometimes claim their parents have sent them to purchase the liquor.
In other instances, Hippolyte said students put alcohol in a water bottle and consume it on the school premises.
He said they face expulsion under the Education Act.
The Act, among other things, prohibits licence holders from selling liquor to anyone ‘apparently under the age of 16 years’.
It is a difficult thing to monitor those kids. Especially at social gatherings. The alcohol being put in the water bottles is a very common practice.
Not just at the secondary schools. But even at our local college here. Giving the dangers of alcohol consumption it is something that the children should be made aware of constantly.
Children has to be made to understand the effects of alcohol. There are some places in the world where if issues occur with children and alcohol consumption at a party/event – the host can be liable to face criminal charges. I am a St. Lucian adult who lives abroad and in my state – you must present a government ID to purchase alcohol – and you information has to be entered in the registers.
Take a walk in your capital. Right next to schools and churches you have rum shops and drunks in violation of the law. Yet nothing is done about it. What do you think will happen to those kids exposed to such a culture?
You all still begging/urging people not to partake in illegal activities eh.
I guess you only publish certain people’s post. When others mention opposition figures and use all threats against them, that’s worthy of publication. Then just speak about the Pitbull and your comment is rejected. I will reiterate he needs to stop giving vendors selling by schools licenses to sell alcohol.
the vendors should be monitored not the kids and be prosecuted if they sell to kids parents also should be charged if they ask their kids to buy alcohol for them or purchase and sever it to kids
the vendors should be monitored not the kids and be prosecuted if they sell to kids parents also should be charged if they ask their kids to buy alcohol for them or purchase and sever it to kids