Cape drinking by-laws eased... even before being tightened

The city’s decision to ease its liquor by-law has been welcomed by some councillors, but others said the decision would effectively make Cape Town the “drunk capital of the world”.

Mayor Patricia de Lille told Wednesday’s council meeting about the difficulty of keeping the balance between “many social pressures, business concerns, individual rights and governmental responsibilities”.

She said the by-law distinguished between sale and consumption, forbidding only sales after 2am. “However, it realises that some areas are recognised social spots with minimal disruptive potential,” said De Lille.

The amended version of the by-law fixed many irregularities and inconsistencies. “It allows for champagne breakfasts. It allows for winetasting. It allows for a rangLinke of activities that were unnecessarily excluded. It regularises trade… It will allow for enforceability where there are social disruptions and it will allow for a degree of preventing the kind of excess that allows for abuse.”

“The state does not have a right to intervene in people’s personal lives… However, it does have the responsibility to intervene where there is harm. I do not believe we should be under any illusions about the harm that alcohol abuse causes in our society,” said De Lille.(from IOL)

Our Mayor said that?! How about applying that to smoking cannabis maybe....? Or any of the other drugs which have haven't caused any deaths or lasting damage. Interesting how the mayor doesn't go into what the real damage caused by alcohol is and how many deaths it is implicated in.