Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry (Essay Sample)

SINGAPORE LICENSED ALCOHOL INDUSTRY
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Table of Contents
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc372252246 \h
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Definition and classification of Alcohol Beverage  PAGEREF _Toc372252247 \h
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Putting the alcohol problem in perspective  PAGEREF _Toc372252248 \h
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The alcohol policy  PAGEREF _Toc372252249 \h
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Alcohol Regulatory Measures  PAGEREF _Toc372252250 \h
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Some of the regulatory measures that can be taken are  PAGEREF _Toc372252251 \h
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Ban on alcohol consumption  PAGEREF _Toc372252252 \h
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Control of alcohol availability  PAGEREF _Toc372252253 \h
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Age restriction to alcohol consumption  PAGEREF _Toc372252254 \h
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Alcohol limit for drivers  PAGEREF _Toc372252255 \h
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Alcohol taxation  PAGEREF _Toc372252256 \h
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Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry is not responsible for the actions of customers  PAGEREF _Toc372252257 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc372252258 \h
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List of References  PAGEREF _Toc372252259 \h
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Aspects of Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry responsibilities
Introduction
Definition and classification of Alcohol Beverage
The Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry is charged with observing the definition of alcohol and classification of alcohol beverages.
Alcoholic beverages contain mixtures of diluted alcohol, as taking pure alcohol can be harmful. Legislative definition of alcohol is important so that it sets the limit for concentration and defines to which drinks they apply. The definition of alcohols by the Global Status report is the beverages that contain alcohol in the range of 0.1 to 12 percent and above.
Alcohol beverages are classified as in
Fermented spirits
These are spirits produced by the fermentation process and without distillation. Ethanol concentration should be less than 15 by volume.
Distilled spirits
These are spirits produced through the distillation process or a mixture with non-distilled spirits with ethanol concentration more than 15 by volume.
Putting the alcohol problem in perspective
The Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry should also put the alcohol problem in perspective. Negative effects of alcohol are well known and excessive consumption of alcohol impairs judgment. Drunken persons are advised not to operate machinery.
Health complications of alcohol consumption are liver and kidney ailments.
Alcohol consumption also leads to personality and behavioral changes and can lead to problems such as crime, accidents, family conflicts and other social ills.
Alcohol also has some positive aspects such cultural heritage. Social activities and some festivals are organized with alcohol as the main theme such as the Oktoberfest.
It is accepted that moderate drinking does not cause problems to the drinker and to the society. It gives a sense of wellbeing when it is not abused and has some health benefits on the cardiovascular system.
Excessive consumption of alcohol raises concern and people demand that the government enacts alcohol policies to curb its excessive consumption. This is because the decision to drink excessively leads to harms and costs borne not only by the drinker himself but also by other people and the society too.
The alcohol policy
Alcohol cannot be banned from consumption in many parts of the world, Singapore included. The main issue is how to live with it harmoniously. There should be a balance in the presence of alcohol in the society.
There are diverse views on the role of the government to deal with consumption of alcohol by its citizens. Alcohol policy therefore has to come to play in many alcohol regulatory bodies such as government, and The Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry abides by the regulations. Alcohol control policy comes in various types such as taxation, age limit, alcohol availability and its consumption.
It is evident that alcohol policy can help alleviate some of the alcohol related problems in the society and thus reducing harm that would have otherwise resulted. The main objective of an alcohol policy is to control the supply and demand of alcohol to appropriate levels. This reduces alcohol’s burden to the society and promotes public health.
The major tools of an alcohol policy can be classified as either regulatory measures or taxation.
Alcohol Regulatory Measures
Alcohol production, distribution and consumption needs to be regulated to uphold law and order in the society. Excessive consumption of alcohol has negative effects to the consumer and to the society. Therefore, regulatory bodies such as governments must regulate it and The Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry has to abide by the regulations. They should promote alcohol consumptions patterns that are acceptable to the society and minimize costs arising from misuse of alcohol.
Some of the regulatory measures that can be taken are:
Ban on alcohol consumption
This is the strongest measure that a regulatory body can undertake. This is however a move that is unrealistic especially where there are no persuasive religious, cultural or moral beliefs. Alcohol sale is a major source of revenue to many states thus a ban on it would mean loss of revenue to the state. Many countries of Islam faith have imposed a ban on alcohol and some issue drinking licenses to people of proven good conduct. However, since it is evident that excessive alcohol consumption has a cost to the consumer and to the society and there has to be regulations to its consumption. Most states allow consumption of alcohol but under placed legal restrictions.
Control of alcohol availability
This involves control of the production, supply of alcohol and sale of alcohol.
A regulatory body can adopt full control, partial control or no control to alcohol consumption. This can be done through licensing of the production, distribution and sale of alcohol. Government control through state monopoly is not a common practice. Some countries control the time when alcohol should be sold to the citizens, mostly after work hours.
Age restriction to alcohol consumption
Most regulatory bodies prohibit the sale of alcohol to underage persons. An age limit is set most commonly at 17 and 18 years to prevent young people from suffering adverse effects of alcohol at tender ages. This is effective in Singapore since law enforcement culture is observed. Some groups still lobby for the raising of the drinking age to prevent the young people from drinking too much alcohol. A good example is of the college student who died of alcohol poisoning in Singapore. An older drinker would have known there was a problem with the alcohol.
Alcohol limit for drivers
Alcohol impairs judgment and drunken people should be forbidden from driving or operating machinery. An alcohol limit is set which drivers should not exceed and it is ensured through random alcohol tests. This regulation yields good results since the drunk driving can be fatal or cause chaos on the roads.

Alcohol taxation
This is one of the major ways of controlling alcohol consumption and its related problems. This is justified based on the following facts; alcohol consumption leads to negative externalities and taxation helps to curb such externalities. Alcohol demand is highly inelastic and thus tax imposition on it would be of minimal economic damage. Taxation on alcohol generates a good amount of revenue to the state. This becomes an effective way to control alcohol consumption. Tax makes the cost of alcohol rise and thus its demand reduces. Heavy drinkers end up reducing the amount of alcohol they consume. Logically, when alcohol becomes expensive the takers will reduce the intake and thus solve of the alcohol related problems (Somchai Richupan, Ph.D.PresidentSiam Development InstituteBangkok, Thailand, 2005)
(World Health Organization,Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse,Geneva, 2004)
Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry is not responsible for the actions of customers
The various members of the Singapore Licensed Alcohol Industry, these are the producers, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses that promote the sale and consumption of alcohol are not responsible for the actions of their customers.
As the name states, the alcohol industry is licensed by the state. This is after a test to ensure that the contents are potent and non-harmful. Alcohol in Singapore is not banned like other drugs because its consumption can be controlled and lead to no harm. The producer to consumer chain is therefore law abiding if they produce, distribute and sell the alcohol within the law restrictions. The consumer should bear the responsibility of ensuring that he or she consumes the alcohol within the law restrictions and does not cause harm or disturbance to him or her as well as the society. It is a matter of everyone ensuring responsibility for moderate alcohol consumption.
There is no problem at all when alcohol is bought at will by a person of legal drinking age and taken moderately, not excessively. When one takes alcohol excessively and carries him or herself with low decorum, it is by will and the seller of the drink is not to be blamed. Using an analogy of when one buys a car, the way in which he car is used is dependent on the owner of the car. If the car is driven carelessly in such a way that it causes an...