The Child Act of 1992, Provision 16, prohibits selling of alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances to children: Hotel Regulation and Sale Distribution of Alcohol Act, 2023, section 7, has a provision prohibiting selling and serving of alcohol to children under 16 years of and persons who are already intoxicated. Similarly a bill passed in June 2000 bans the sale of the plastic pouch liquor. In 1999, the Health Ministry with cooperation of the WHO issued a decree to ban alcohol advertisement in the electronic media. However, these acts have been limited to papers only. We hardly find the rule being strictly implemented. Thus, it is time the authorities concerned did something about it.

— Ashok Banjade

The more you force your kids not to do something, the more they will do it. In Europe, all kids drink beer, whereas in the US, it is a no-no for those under 18. I say let it run as it is as there are no such accidents related to drinking and driving. If u look at other countries, they are scratching their he-ads how to stop this? Thank to God Nepal has none.

— Manu

Recently I was in West Bengal, India, to attend a friends’ wedding. I tried buying a bottle of whisky but I was surprised to know that whisky (and any other liquor item) was not readily available. I thought maybe it is because it is a remote area. But I found that even in the urban areas, it was the same. Random selling of liquor was prohibited by law. Back in my country, liquor is readily available almost anywhere. I wondered why can we not have similar type of law in our county?

This will control consumption of alcohol, especially among young and beginners.

— Raju Upety

Drinking liquor has been a part of life for the Nepalis. In the absence of specific laws and age bar in buying and selling liquor, anyone can purchase it from any place. This is the reason why the tendency of drinking is increasing in among the youth and children as young as 12 or so. At a time when social unrest and conflict has engulfed  the nation, alcoholism has further contributed to the escalation of violence. Alcoholism has also been identified as the leading cause of cancers, heart and liver diseases. Domestic violence and other crimes and criminal activities are committed under the influence of alcohol. The negative impact of alcoholism is multifold. Easy availability of liquor and lack of effective laws in regulating the process of buying and selling has lured more and more people to adopt this habit. It is the authorities concerned who should adopt stringent laws and enforce them into practice so as to curb the wrong trend society is adopting and help protect the health of minors and youths.

— Ambika Pandey

Drinks have been almost indispenisble in any party or a special occasion. While the West has slowly  moved away from using hard drinks in corporate parties, it is just the opposite here.

There are various Acts that have been formulated regarding the consuming and selling of drinks, but these are on papers only. It is the duty of the authorities concerned to implement these rules effectively.

— Barsha Khadka

We can see the situation of Nepal. Rules and regulations are not working here anymore. So I don’t think a ‘Liquor Law’ will work, especially here. People themselves have to conscious about alcohol and the disadvantages.

— Dangol

A society without laws can never be a civilised place to live in. For consumption and availability of liquor, there should be strict laws as youngsters are easily lured into taking it up. Unfortunately, the authorities concerned are too busy maintaining their positions that minor drinking is not to be considered an issue. On a more practical note, who would blame the law makers with the government’s present situation? However, if  the authorities really take action on the liquor matter, I don’t see any reason why the condition wouldn’t improve.

— Shradha Pal

Young persons are at higher risk for injury because of risky behaviours like drinking and driving, not wearing seat belts, and alcohol abusive drinking styles such as binge drinking. Considering these alcohol-related injuries and violence, a multifaceted, community-based approach is necessary to prevent of motor vehicle-related and violence-related injuries, including risk assessment, education, intervention programme evaluation, adequate screening for alcohol abuse, social and medical support services, and law enforcement. It is true that despite the attention given to diagnosis, intervention, and the treatment of alcoholism, prevention is the most efficient way to combat the liquoring habit.

— Nitu Kedia

As far as the availability of bottle or can of drink is concerned, it needs to be restricted from being ubiquitous as we are experiencing today. There needs to be some laws on age bar for drinking like in most of the countries. We should also not forget ‘liquor’ industry is powerful and enjoys a stronghold on the national economy. Before adhering to any stringent measure on drinks control, we need to be very sensitive. Alcohol industry is a big industry with more than 12 billion rupees investment and over 50 large and medium distilleries. The industry provides employment to around 100,000 people directly or indirectly. Government collects at around Rs 5 billion as revenue form the liquor business. So before imposing any law, we need to be very careful about the shade it may caste on our economy if an immature decision is ta-ken against the liquor trade.

— Akhil

Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world.This no liquor law has proved itself as a destroyer. It has been harmful for teenagers, with liquor ultimately diverting them from their chosen paths.The so-called future of the nation is being destroyed because of this. It has been found that the authorities concerned shou-ld implement the law as soon as possible and society should cooperate with the government for its practical implementation.

— Kumar Ravi

No one can improve oneself other than his/her self. Day by day the number of hard drinkers increases. People think hard drink is the best medicine to get rid of problems, but hard drink is the best medicine to get problems. It kills our life rather than saving it. The government should open its eyes and act upon it as soon as possible.

— Abhinay Jayaswal