- El funcionario de la autoridad de drogas declara:
Para los menores, el Czar de Drogas del Gobierno Federal cree que el alcohol debería estar prohibido. "El consumo de alcohol solo debería permitirse una vez que se cumple 18 años, una vez que se alcanza la edad adulta", afirmó el Czar de Drogas y Adicción del Gobierno Federal, Burkhard Blienert (SPD), en la "Rheinische Post" con sede en Düsseldorf. Reafirmó firmemente una demanda de larga data.
Actualmente, la Ley de Protección de Menores permite que los adolescentes consuman bebidas alcohólicas como cerveza o vino en público siempre que estén acompañados por un tutor adulto. "No puedo decir nada bueno sobre el consumo de alcohol en compañía de un adulto a los 14 años", afirmó Blienert, agregando además, "El alcohol es una sustancia tóxica que hace efecto desde el primer sorbo. (...) No existe un consumo seguro de alcohol. El alcohol tiene un impacto significativo en los adolescentes que aún están en desarrollo".
La edad de 14 años para el consumo de alcohol está bajo escrutinio
El Consejo de Ministros de Salud de los Estados trató este asunto en junio y acordó examinar más de cerca las regulaciones de la Ley de Protección de Menores para noviembre. El ministro federal de Salud de Alemania, Karl Lauterbach (SPD), también abogó por prohibir lo que se conoce como "consumo acompañado" para personas de 14 a 16 años.
"Me parece fantástico que todos los ministros de Salud de los Estados ahora al menos discutan una estricta 'a partir de los 16 años'. Hacer avanzar este debate ha sido valioso", dijo Blienert a la "Rheinische Post".
DEG: El alcohol, incluso en cantidades moderadas, es perjudicial para la salud
Hace solo unas pocas semanas, la Sociedad Alemana de Nutrición (DEG) aconsejó no consumir alcohol y, por lo tanto, revisó su postura anterior. Even in moderation, alcohol is not beneficial to health - there is no safe and health-promoting quantity of alcohol for responsible consumption, the expert organization declared in a position paper released in mid-August. "Alcohol is a psychoactive substance" that has been linked to over 200 negative health consequences, including diseases and accidents, it noted.
If one still chooses to drink alcohol, it's crucial to avoid large quantities, the expert organization suggested. This recommendation is especially pertinent for young people. Children, teenagers, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should refrain from consuming alcohol altogether. Alcohol consumption is associated with developmental disorders in unborn children, accidents, injuries, violence, and "psychosocial disadvantages for people who drink alcohol, as well as their social environment," the organization wrote.
"Health policy, the healthcare system, and relevant societal actors must do more to decrease overall alcohol consumption and the consequences associated with it for consumers, their social environment, and society," it also stated in a position paper released in June by the German Office for Addiction Issues (DHS), the German Medical Association (BAK), the German Psychotherapists' Association (BPtK), the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN), and the German Society for Addiction Research and Therapy.
Researchers from the University of Victoria, Canada, have discovered that some previous studies suggesting health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption were due to biases originating from study design flaws. They analyzed 107 long-term studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality. Previous research had consistently suggested that light drinkers were less susceptible to certain diseases compared to abstainers.
The Commission, following the Council of Health Ministers' suggestion, may adopt implementing acts to reinforce the age limit for 'accompanied drinking,' as per Article 113. Directly addressing the issue, Blienert expressed his hope that the discussion on a strict 'from the age of 16' will result in beneficial changes in alcohol consumption policies.
