Restrictions to beer sales could boost black market sales, professor cautions

“In Finland, alcohol consumption remains at such a high level that reducing it would make sense from the viewpoint of public health. Regulating the price and availability of alcohol are the most effective measures available to policy makers. Regardless, I have my doubts about restricting the sale hours of beer so dramatically. It may have undesired consequences,” views Jussi Kauhanen, a professor of public health at the University of Eastern Finland.

On Tuesday, Helsingin Sanomat reported that the reform of Finland's Alcohol Act may entail restrictions to the retail sales of beer. Officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health have proposed that beer sales at grocery shops, kiosks and service stations be prohibited after 6 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as on Sunday mornings.

“Limiting the sale hours like that sounds a bit harsh,” Kauhanen says.

At present, Finnish retailers are allowed to sell beer every day from 9 am and 9 pm.

According to Kauhanen, the restrictions could encourage Finns to stockpile alcohol in their homes and boost the black market sales of alcohol. “I would recommend more moderate steps to limit availability. If at-risk and binge drinking could similarly to smoking be made culturally less acceptable, major changes would occur,” he says.

Pia Mäkelä, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), does not subscribe to the claim that the restrictions could boost black market sales. “There is no particular reason to presume that [black market] activity would increase markedly due to the restrictions,” insists Mäkelä, who is the head of the alcohol and drug unit at THL.

Mäkelä instead believes the restrictions could have a positive impact.

“Research findings suggest that restrictions to sale hours reduce average alcohol consumption marginally and contribute to reducing alcohol-related problems,” she argues.