Legal Drinking Age in Ukraine

“Europe is generally very high, both for the adult population and for 15-19 year olds,” Rekve said. More than a fifth of the European population aged 15 and over reported heavy episodic use at least once a week, according to the WHO. Chronology of age changes for drinking/purchasing or laws restricting access to alcohol for minors: Champagne often flows freely on New Year`s Eve – but at what age can most young people legally start drinking sparkling wine? It is officially forbidden to smoke and drink alcoholic beverages in public places. Public places include transportation, bus stops, railway crossings, cultural, sports and government facilities, playgrounds and parks. In recent years, however, more attention has been paid to the amount of alcohol consumed by young people, not necessarily the age at which alcohol consumption begins. Meanwhile, our European aspirations are expressed in other forms – legislators systematically focus on more “global” issues, while keeping in mind the fundamental issues of child protection. There is article 304 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: “Participation of minors in criminal activities, drunkenness, begging, gambling”. Sounds good, right? But when you look at the legal details in which each investigation takes place, it doesn`t all look so good. British millennials drink less alcohol, study finds In North America, the legal drinking age and the legal purchasing age range from 18 to 21: in Central America, the Caribbean and South America, the legal drinking age and the legal purchasing age range from 0 to 20 (see chart below). In South America in particular, the legal age of purchase is 18, with two exceptions: Overall, the legal age at which it is legal to purchase or be served most alcohol products ranges from 13 years in Burkina Faso to 25 years in Eritrea. In 2016, Luxembourg was the country with the highest percentage of 15-19 year olds reporting heavy episodic alcohol consumption in the past 30 days, with 54%. It was followed by Equatorial Guinea with 53.7 per cent and Lithuania with 53.2 per cent.

The most well-known reason for the law behind the legal drinking age is the effect on the brain in teenagers. As the brain is still maturing, alcohol can have a negative effect on memory and long-term thinking. In addition, it can cause liver failure and cause hormonal imbalance in adolescents due to the constant changes and maturation of hormones during puberty. [3] Youth are also particularly at risk of injury when drinking alcohol,[4] as they may not have the necessary knowledge about low-risk drinking. In fact, public health researchers found that people`s age to drink the first full serving of alcohol was significantly related to knowledge of low-risk alcohol consumption and beverage counting. Knowledge about low-risk alcohol consumption and frequency of beverage counting increased more sharply with age at first drinking in adolescence than at the end of the period. [5] Section 78 of the Children`s Act – No person shall sell, lend, give, provide, provide or offer liquor to children under 16 years of age unless a written order signed by the child`s parent or guardian is known to the child. The police have a duty to confiscate any alcoholic beverage in the possession of a child under the age of 16 without the written consent of parents or guardians.

[38] Of the 190 countries, 61% have an alcohol drinking age of 18 or 19. The United States and 11 other countries have an MLDA of 21, the highest MLDA of any country where it is legal to drink (although some parts of India have drinking ages of 25 and 30). Alcohol is banned in 16 countries, all Muslim, although some have exceptions for non-Muslims. The following tables present the Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) and related data for 190 independent states recognized by the U.S. Department of State as of July 15, 2015. Data are from the World Health Organization`s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014 2014, unless otherwise noted. No information on alcohol age was available for Djibouti, Lebanon, Marshall Islands, North Korea or South Sudan, the other five countries listed as independent states by the State Department. It is technically legal for minors to possess and consume alcohol at home and in public (not on authorized premises), as there is no law prohibiting it. It is also technically legal for someone to buy alcohol and give it to minors outside the store or licensed establishments. [104] According to the report, more than 50% of people in the Americas, Europe and the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, Oceania) drank alcoholic beverages in 2016.

For comparison, in 2016, only 32.2% of people in Africa and 33.1% of people in Southeast Asia (India, North Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.) drank. In addition, 94.9% of the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Yemen, etc.) abstained from alcohol throughout their lives. Alcohol consumption is illegal in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, at least for Muslims. In chemical terms, alcohol is an organic compound formed during the fermentation of grains, vegetables or fruits. Medically, alcohol is classified as a sedative (as opposed to a stimulant like caffeine or a hallucinogen like psilocybin) with a variety of physiological effects. Most of these effects involve slowing down or obstructing bodily functions. For example, alcohol inhibits bodily motor functions and slows reaction times. The more you drink, the slower and clumsier they become.

Similarly, alcohol also hinders the brain`s communication pathways. While one or two drinks can make a person looser and more relaxed, continued consumption leads to symptoms such as slurred speech, cloudy thinking, and poor decision-making. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to additional complications such as vomiting, memory loss, drowsiness up to fainting, and in extreme cases, alcohol poisoning. Finally, long-term excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to serious physiological conditions, including (but not limited to) pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, liver disease, hyperglycemia, cancer, and various neurological disorders. Studies have varied, but some researchers say no amount of alcohol is good for your health, and excessive alcohol consumption can damage the body and brain, especially in a young person. There is some evidence that high alcohol exposure may be associated with brain impairment and cognitive deficits, including memory problems. The legal drinking age is 18 in Abu Dhabi (although a Ministry of Tourism regulation allows hotels to serve alcohol only to people over 21) and 21 in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (except Sharjah, where alcohol consumption is prohibited). [113] In the 1970s, provincial and state policymakers in Canada and the United States switched to lower MLDAs (which were set at 21 in most provinces, territories, and states) to coincide with the age of judicial majority – typically 18.