By Eve Noon

PROPOSALS TO tackle Scotland’s binge drinking culture were described as “Draconian” and “confusing” by a Dundee student representative last night.

President of the Dundee University Students’ Association, Milan Bogunovic, was commenting on the Scottish Government plans that would see anyone under the age of 21 being banned from buying alcohol in off-licences.

Mr Bogunovic does not think this is the answer to dealing with the problematic drinking culture.

He said, “A lot of students are a bit perplexed with these new proposals—they don’t see why the drinking age in bars would stay at 18 but the age of buying alcohol in off-licences would change.

“Students are confused about why the Scottish Government would come to this decision.

“Everyone is aware there’s a problem with the drink culture in Scotland but this just seems like a Draconian approach and it’s not the right way of dealing with it.”

Instead of raising the age for off-licence purchases of alcohol, Mr Bogunovic thinks that education about alcohol and responsible drinking is the answer towards solving the problem.

“They need to be engaging with students about the dangers of alcohol and teaching young people how to drink responsibly.

“If there was more education about alcohol and its effects then what they would find is people would drink more safely.

“Stopping under 21s buying alcohol in off-licences will just mean they will be drinking too much in the pubs,” he continued.

He feels that to tackle the core of problem the government should not be just concentrating on the 18-21-year-old age group as the problem is societal.

Efforts should be concentrated on identifying worst affected areas for alcohol abuse and finding out why it is happening in those areas.

His concern for students was also the age they begin university and how the change to buying alcohol in shops would take away their independence.

“Most students come to university at the age of 18 but these proposals would mean they could not buy alcohol and they would not be perceived as adult enough to buy it,” he said.

The negative response expressed by the DUSA to the proposals appears to be wide spread amongst students.

Less than a week after the Scottish Government announced its plans to overhaul Scotland’s alcohol laws, almost three thousand young people have signed up for a campaign against the move.

The Coalition Against Raising the Drinking Age in Scotland (CARDAS) has gained support from students’ unions from across the country.

CARDAS recognise something has to be done to tackle Scotland’s culture of binge drinking but think the problem is evident across society, not just among young people.

They are calling for more research into the root cause of the endemic problem with alcohol.