Malawi police chief backs liquor sachets ban
Inspector General (IG) of Malawi Police Lot Dzonzi has added his voice to the growing demand by several stakeholders calling for the ban of packaging liquor spirit in sachets, saying the country is producing a generation of drunkards.
Speaking in an interview with The Nation in Lilongwe on Wednesday, Dzonzi said the issue of liquor sachets “has sufficiently demonstrated that our children are faced with a great danger which threatens to derail their future and that of the country if left unchecked”.
Said Dzonzi, “Liquor packaged in sachets is a ticking time bomb for this country. Its portability makes it easy for young people to conceal it from parents, teachers and other older people because it can be easily carried without detection.
“The alcohol content in the sachets is very high and even teachers have complained that students become unruly soon after returning to classes from break time. Its pricing is very low that any person can buy it without complaining.”
He said he would be very happy if a law could be formulated at State level, banning the production of sachets.
“There is too much anti-social behaviour emanating from consuming liquor from sachets. Some children indulge in acts of theft while others abuse their own friends or relatives because of being drunk,” said Dzonzi.
Alcohol Policy Alliance executive director Nelson Zakeyu concurred with Dzonzi, saying liquor sachets are doing a great harm to the nation’s children.
“Our plea is that sachets must be banned or they should be sold in designated places only,” said Zakeyu.
He said government must compel liquor sachet producers to increase the contents from 100ml to 300ml so that the price should be prohibitive to children if it fails to effect the ban.
Lot, do people steal with Guns or Satchets? Why dont you just regularly patrol high risk areas at night and see how rapidly crime will drop. Redeply half of the road trafick police to night patrols. Apolice kukonda kuyambana ndi mahule and omwa mowa bwanji? You are paid to catch thieves not drinkers wanva?
Bogus Nangwale! I have no doubt you are a dunderhead! No wonder you have poor grammar “drinkers?” or drunkards?. The issue is about sachets. It is about how lowly priced harmful liquor is contributing to anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour and truancy are the root causes of some forms of criminal activity and this is a zone in which the well learned Dzonzi belongs to. He is voicing out how Malawi could nip such behaviour in the bud. Urikunzinzwa? Utomva? apikene? Wapurika? You know what m’ sayin? You got it? Do you understand the reasoning or you are still a dunderhead?
No name calling please Sir/Madam! You made your point, even without putting Nangwale down. Banning or outlawing the sachets is not the only solution: according to you, sachets are low priced. Suggesting increasing the price significantly could be part of the solution. This would involve studies to determine the exact price. But as always, people are looking for the easy answers, like just banning the product. Lazy, lazy, lazy.