Russian libertarian fights Moscow's booze ban

либертарианцы как водка

From Eric Dondero:

Sales on vodka and other spirits after 10:00 pm will be banned in Moscow starting Wednesday. This follows a nationwide trend of local municipalities banning booze sales at night due to rampant alchoholism throughout the former communist nation. But one political activist, makes a "libertarian" argument against the ban on both cultural and economic grounds.

From the Moscow News, "Moscow booze ban blasted" Aug. 31:

Vadim Drobiz, director of the centre of the study of federal and regional markets for alcohol, is quite clear that the supposed benefits of prohibition are just one of several myths affecting popular perception of Russian drinking.

The myths date back to the days of Kievan Rus, when ancient leader Vladimir reputedly converted to Christianity rather than teetotal Islam because “drinking is the joy of the Rus”.

But the key modern-day fable which he slammed in an interview with Vremya Novosti, is that prohibition curbs alcohol abuse.

“Some countries live by this belief, for example Sweden and Finland... Over the past 10 years, sales of alcohol in Sweden rose by 70 per cent. In Finland, over the past 40 years alcoholism among women has increased six times while for men it has doubled.”

On economic grounds:

But Drobiz is a libertarian, who also argues that Russia’s drinks prices are no bargain.

Unmoved by bottles of beer readily available for about 35 roubles ($1) and the minimum price of a bottle of vodka set at less than $3 he argues that the highly taxed tipples of many western countries are offset by higher incomes.

Pro rata, he claims, Scandinavian spirits are cheaper than Russia’s and price controls are flawed.