A bill that would allow alcohol to be sold in shops has once again been brought before Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament in Reykjavík, Vísir reported. The repeated effort to expand alcohol sales has been brought before the country’s central legislative body, which has considered similar proposals before.
According to Vísir, the bill is being presented to Alþingi for the fourteenth or fifteenth time, though the exact count remains unclear. The latest version would open the door for alcohol to be sold online, with an apparent aim to make alcoholic beverages available in as many types of shops as possible.
Árni Guðmundsson, a social pedagogy specialist and chairman of the Parents’ Association against alcohol advertising, strongly criticises the proposal. In an article published today on Vísir, he argued against allowing private actors to sell alcohol through online stores directly to consumers, warning of increased ease of access and potential negative effects on public health.
Sources
- Vísir (first reported) in Icelandic
- Mannlíf in Icelandic
- DV in Icelandic
Image: Spike / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
