The draft law on upbringing in sobriety was submitted for consultation – the Ministry of Health provided. The new regulations are, among others, to prohibit the sale of alcohol with a volume of up to 300 milliliters in other packages than glass or metal.
The proposed changes apply to the Act on education in sobriety and counteracting alcoholism and the Act on healthcare services financed from public funds.
The planned date of adopting the project by the Council of Ministers is the third quarter of 2025.
End of the alkotubek
Design health department It assumes that the packaging up to 300 ml, in which alcohol is sold, can be made only of glass or metal. As a rule, it will be forbidden to placing alcohol on the market in a form other than liquid. This means that the sale of alcohol in the form of, for example, powder, crystal, gel or paste will be prohibited.
“Alcoholic beverages appear on the market in packaging in the form of tubes or sachets, visually similar to fruit mousse packaging, or breakfast snacks, including for children and adolescents. This causes a critical reaction of public opinion and the concern of the Minister of Health” – explains the health minister in the justification to the project.
According to the design of the health department, the appearance of the packaging will not be able to raise doubts or mislead that there is alcohol in it. The appearance of the packaging is to allow distinguishing alcoholic beverages from other products, especially for children.
The Ministry of Health announced these changes after alcohol in tubes resembling fruit mousses for children went on sale.
The obligation to check the document confirming age
In addition, the project assumes that sellers will be required to request a document confirming age if they have doubts as to the completion by a person who wants to buy alcohol, 18.
“Currently, in case of doubt as to the age of majority of the buyer of an alcoholic beverage, the seller or serving alcoholic beverages is entitled to demand a document confirming the buyer's age. This design means that the seller of alcoholic beverages to the minor person avoided criminal liability by demonstrating that they were not able to decide the doubt as to the age of the buyer” – explains the Ministry of Health.
Changes in alcohol advertising
The Ministry of Health also wants to clarify the provisions on the ban on the promotion of alcoholic beverages. The definition of the promotion of alcoholic beverages will be supplemented with: the sale of alcoholic beverages using discounts, rebates, discounts, packets and loyalty programs, donations, awards, trips, random games, mutual plants, all forms of lecture, binding transactions, all kinds of vouchers and vouchers, and providing other non -names alcoholic.
The project involves raising penalties for illegal advertising and promotions of alcoholic beverages. After the changes, the minimum fine will be 20 thousand. PLN, and maximum – 750 thousand zloty. In addition, the penalty of restriction of liberty will be possible. Current sanctions are a fine of up to 10,000 up to 500 thousand zloty.
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