Mumbai: A psychiatrist moved the Bombay High Court on Friday seeking a uniform age for legal drinking. Sagar Munanda also points out that there are different ages for different categories, with 25 as the legal age for consuming hard liquor and 21 for beer, but there is no actual age mentioned for wine consumption.
Dr. Munanda, chairman of the youth wing of the Indian Medical Association and a practising psychiatrist, says that legislation pertaining to consumption of alcohol seems to be only on paper. His petition states that since 1972, the age limit prescribed for consumption of alcohol has undergone several arbitrary amendments, with three amendments in September 2005 alone. Currently, beer can be consumed legally at 21, and hard liquor at 25, but no government notifications states any particular age limit for wine, nor has it been mentioned under the Rules of the Bombay Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953. The petition goes on to say that wine has an alcohol content from 5% to 20%, higher than the 3-4% in mild beer and 8-11% in strong beer, but the government was still indirectly allowing the consumption of wine by people below 21.
According to Dr. Munanda, he has encountered under-age drinkers suffering from long-term health problems. He also cites a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that states that young people across the globe consume more than 90% of their alcohol through binge drinking. His petition asks that the miniumum age for drinking be set at 21 years.
