Looks like there will be no celebratory birthday drinks for 18-year-olds.
The government has raised the minimum age for purchasing alcohol from 18 to 21 years, starting December 1, 2017.
This comes after an amendment to the Food Regulation Act 1985, the New Straits Times’ Fazleena Aziz reports.
This amendment would also require all premises selling alcoholic drinks to display a warning notice that reads ‘Alcohol consumption has an adverse effect on health’ within the premise as well as on drink labels.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying that all alcoholic drinks must be sold separately — and contained in glass bottles with a minimum 700ml content — from other drinks.
According to the NST, Dr Subramaniam said this move was meant to control the availability of Compounded Hard Liquour (CHL) which is made with a mixture of two or more alcoholic drinks such as vodka, rum or brandy.
“Many of these cheap alcohol or CHL, usually sold between RM5 to RM7, is creating a social problem among the lower income group, so we want to address this issue. As such, we will increase the tax on CHL to RM40 per litre,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the new rule would also help stop teenagers and students from buying liquor.
