Prohibitive measures in the fight against alcoholism are ineffective - A. Kosinets

March 17, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Prohibitionary measures in the fight against alcoholism are ineffective, believes Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets. He expressed his point of view today at a press conference, BELTA correspondent reports. "In the fight against drunkenness, educational measures are necessary, and for some, force must also be shown," the governor is confident. As a result of stricter control over persons abusing alcoholic beverages, 1105 chronic alcoholics were sent to corrective labor facilities in 2009 (272 more than in 2008), 322 were declared legally incompetent (67 more), and almost 41 thousand administrative offense reports were drawn up for drinking alcohol and appearing in public places while drunk, and 24 thousand for disturbing public order. As Alexander Kosinets emphasized, these seemingly harsh measures led to 310 fewer crimes committed by persons in a state of alcoholic intoxication in the region in 2009 compared to 2008. The share of such crimes in the crime structure decreased by 6 percentage points and amounted to 31%. The number of deaths from alcohol poisoning decreased from 479 people in 2008 to 398 in 2009. -0-