Thirsty Russians face doubled vodka price

[Guest guest]

That's not likely to happen. They still find a way to get their booze, even if that means more crime. It will also present an opportunity for organized crime. They will see a new niche, providing vodka at the old price, or certainly less than the new price, and they will fill it.

In a message dated 1/2/2010 2:22:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

Thirsty Russians face doubled vodka pricePocketbooks targeted to dampen alcoholism

[Guest guest]

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/russia/article/744999--thirsty-russians-face-d\

oubled-vodka-price

Thirsty Russians face doubled vodka price

Pocketbooks targeted to dampen alcoholism

Published On Sat Jan 2 2010

MOSCOW–The cheapest vodka on the Russian market more than doubled in price

Friday as the government took on rampant alcoholism.

Drinking causes an extraordinary number of deaths in Russia, where male life

expectancy is about 60 years, and contributes to an array of economic and social

problems.

The new minimum price of 89 rubles ($3 Canadian) for a half litre (17 oz.) of

vodka took effect for the 12-day Orthodox Christmas holiday, when alcohol use

traditionally peaks.

Russia has one of the strongest thirsts in the world, lapping up the equivalent

of 18 litres (4.8 gallons) of pure alcohol for every man, woman and child per

year.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who has publicly decried Russia's drinking problem,

has ordered a series of measures aimed at reducing sales.

Past efforts of this sort, however, fuelled popularity of home batches of vodka,

which are already thought to account for nearly half of consumption.

A 2009 study in The Lancet blamed drinking for more than half the deaths among

Russians aged 15 to 54 since 1991

[Guest guest]

Hey, they could just ban it! It worked perfectly in the US! Other than that whole "giving organized crime a foothold" thing...-=Russ=-

That's not likely to happen. They still find a way to get their booze, even if that means more crime. It will also present an opportunity for organized crime. They will see a new niche, providing vodka at the old price, or certainly less than the new price, and they will fill it.

In a message dated 1/2/2010 2:22:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

Thirsty Russians face doubled vodka pricePocketbooks targeted to dampen alcoholism

[Guest guest]

They should ban it anyway.

People would eventuallyget used to not having it. Organized crime could be wiped

out with a concerted effort.

Administrator

Hey, they could just ban it! It worked perfectly in the US! Other than that

whole " giving organized crime a foothold " thing...

-=Russ=-