Brazil Cracks Down on Booze

With alcohol abuse on the rise, president pushes for even more regulation
By Laurel Jorgensen,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 20, 2008 10:03 AM CST
Brazil Cracks Down on Booze
An unidentified man reaches for a bottle of alcohol in this file photo. The Brazilian government has temporarily banned the sale of alcohol on federal highways, and the president wants to restrict alcohol advertising on TV and radio.   (KRT Photos)

The president of Brazil is pushing for stricter alcohol regulations following the release of two studies showing more Brazilians are abusing alcohol and at an earlier age, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The government has already temporarily banned the sale of alcohol on federal highways, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants Congress to limit daytime alcohol advertising on TV and radio.

Government officials claimed the temporary highway ban resulted in fewer road deaths during the recent holiday weekend, but industry groups and store chains are voicing their opposition. “We don’t need new laws,” said an official from an association of beer producers. “We need to educate people and punish them when they flout the laws we have.” (More Brazil stories.)

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