Rada eliminates legislative gap, allows local authorities to ban liquor sales at night

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Thursday, March 22, adopted a bill granting local authorities the right to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages at night and greenlighting fining businesses over violations.

While presenting the bill ahead of the vote, a rapporteur from the "People's Front" faction, Ihor Vasiunyk, recalled that every year, more than 40,000 people in Ukraine die from alcoholism.

Read alsoUkraine's central bank forecasts tobacco, alcohol price hikes in 2018According to the World Health Organization, Ukraine ranks 6th in the world in terms of alcohol consumption.

Also, the country is seeing some disappointing trends in alcohol consumption among adolescents - more than 83% of them have had experience drinking alcohol. Almost 35% of polled teenagers noted that it is "easy" or "very easy" to purchase liquor.

MP Vasiunyk claims this is the reason to introduce restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages in Ukraine. "Restrictions and bans that are now in force in Ukraine remain insufficient. Local authorities have already introduced a ban on liquor sales at night, but due to legislative gaps, the relevant decisions of local councils were often abolished in court," he said.