Alcohol Alliance supports Education Ministry’s calls – to not sell alcohol at school events

Ruel Edwards, Interim Chairman of the Grenada Beverage Alcohol Alliance, said that the membership respects the Ministry of Education’s school policy on the promotion, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages at school-based events.

“We don’t submit to selling alcoholic beverage to minors. It’s against the law and it goes contrary to the code of ethics of the Alliance,” said Edwards.

The Alliance is a collective grouping of alcohol beverage producers, distributors and marketers whose mission is to reduce alcohol-related harm through combating the misuse and abuse of alcohol products. The core objective is to promote the responsible distribution, sale and consumption of beverage alcohol products.

The Ministry of Education recently issued a warning to vendors informing them that the National Schools’ Policy on Drugs makes it a violation for alcohol to be sold on the compound of school events, such as track and field and other sports meets.

The policy prohibits the sale, distribution and use of alcoholic beverages at school functions and the penalty for violators convicted under that Act is a fine of three thousand dollars and imprisonment for three months for the first offence and for the second or any subsequent offence, to a fine of five thousand dollars and imprisonment for six months.

Calling for adults to understand the wider benefit of effectively enforcing the policy and the law as it relates to minors and the sale and distribution of alcohol, Edwards said that though it may be a sensitive issue, peo-ple should respect the policy as its aim is in the best interest of the young people.

“Our membership I know will abide with the policy. You see we have members who are involved in both the non-alcohol and alcohol beverage and I am certain that you will not see alcoholic beverage promotions at school-based events,” he said.