This is reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing the relevant petition. According to Kontrakty.UA, this information has been shared.
What the petition author proposes
The author of the petition, Koval Pavlo Anatoliyovych, believes that government officials need to initiate changes in the current legislation regarding warning labels on alcoholic products and in alcohol advertising.
The proposal involves changing the text "Excessive consumption of alcohol harms your health" to "Consumption of alcohol harms your health" (or a similar phrasing).
Essentially, the petition suggests removing words that "downplay the harm of alcohol" from advertising (or other) messages about alcoholic beverages (in the aforementioned example, this would be the word "excessive").
As of 14:30 on Monday, October 14, only 9 signatures (out of the required 25,000) had been collected for the petition. There are still 88 days left for signature collection.
Arguments from the petition author
Koval explained that based on recent studies in the field of medicine and health, "any amount of alcohol consumed is harmful to the human body."
"Current scientific data indicates that even small doses of alcohol negatively affect the organs and systems of the body, including the brain, heart, liver, and immune system," the petition author emphasized.
He cited data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which states that there is no "safe" amount of alcohol.
"Even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and liver function disorders. For instance, studies show that regular consumption of even one glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage can increase the risk of developing breast cancer in women and certain types of cancer in men," Pavlo Anatoliyovych stressed.
In his view, changing the warning label to "Consumption of alcohol harms your health" would:
- more accurately reflect the real danger that alcohol poses to human health
- promote better public awareness of the consequences of its consumption
A market without smuggling
It’s worth noting that Ukraine is currently working on launching the "eExcise" system to combat the shadow market for alcohol and tobacco (the necessary documents regarding its operational procedure have already been approved by the government).
According to Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the losses from smuggling are colossal—over 30 billion has been lost by the state just in 2023.
Meanwhile, with the "eExcise," Ukrainians will be able to verify the legality of products through "Diiа" (each official product will have an electronic excise stamp with a unique code).
It is expected that businesses will receive excise stamps without bureaucracy and visits to the tax service—quickly and transparently.
Also, read about three types of alcohol considered the "most beneficial".