In Finland 3,000 people die from alcohol every year. By comparison, traffic accidents kill only 300.
The unofficial import of alcohol from Estonia to Finland is often seen as a problem. Estonia has lower prices and the government levies less tax on booze, meaning that many Finns pop across the Gulf of Finland to stock up on high volumes of heavy liquor.
In an interview Friday, special researcher from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) Esa Österberg discussed the issue on Yle’s morning TV programme.
”Another thing that has been suggested is to have a notification requirement for high volume imports, whereby it could then be known if an individual was importing quantities that were inconsistent with their own personal use,” Österberg says.
According to the researcher, the alcohol subscription system from Estonia is also unclear at present.
“The rules could be clarified in order to know how this importing happens,” he says.
"Quotas are history"
Österberg emphasizes Customs and police controls, but he also identifies a lack of resources affecting authorities. He notes that quotas are a thing of the past.
“Quotas are history. They had to be given up as part of EU agreements in 2004. They’re not likely to return,” he says. “It must be remembered that quotas remain in third party countries, such as Russia.”
Österberg points out that the “spirit rally” is not a harmless thing. Alcohol accounts for ten times as many deaths in Finland as traffic accidents, leading 3,000 people into the grave every year.
“Importantly, the alcohol reforms that the government brought in gave a clear signal to people by tightening the availability of alcohol to some degree. In addition, the state should logically support the view that alcohol use should be lessened,” he argues.
