Should all liquor shops be closed during the lockdown?

Written by: Ishan Khire and Akarsh Duddu

Edited by: Pranav Jatin Goud

Liquor shops are a place where huge numbers of people come to get alcoholic drinks. Liquor shops are one of the world’s most egregious places. These shops pose a dangerous threat to society during the pandemic, even if it does not seem like so. These shops must immediately be closed during the ongoing lockdown. This is since the liquor shops create miscellaneous problems for many different people and the government.

Proposition

Firstly, an addiction to alcohol can affect the alcoholic financially. Due to his/her addiction, the drinker would be continuously required to buy alcohol. Due to the ongoing pandemic, many people, especially people from a poorer background, are deprived of wages and are in a severe economic condition. In order to finance this addiction, addicts are compelled to spend what little money they have saved on alcoholic drinks. According to a study, India consumes 5.7 litres of alcohol per person. This would amount to a whopping ₹73,000 per year if an alcoholic drinks one medium-priced bottle every day. And some alcoholics would be needing to pay even more than that! Expensive alcoholic drinks can range from ₹800 to ₹2000. This further deprives them of money which can help them finance their necessities.

Consuming alcohol is shown to increase aggression. This drastically increases the chances of domestic violence. The opening of liquor shops, together with men struggling over financial issues can severely boost the number of domestic violence cases across India.

Moreover, liquor shops have a negative impact on the spread of the coronavirus. Many people stand close together in large crowds which accelerates the pervasiveness of the virus. Recent examples have shown that addicts show complete perfidy towards social distancing norms.

Opposition

Many states in India are in the middle of an economic crisis during the lockdown. Karnataka and Punjab stand to lose tens of thousands of crores in state revenue by the closing of liquor shops. They have a very small money supply and the government is giving them little money to deal with the crisis. If this continues, they will have to borrow money at very high-interest rates which would be unsustainable. These states in India would have to face increased unemployment, loss of income, and increased vulnerability. As alcohol revenues make up about a quarter of state revenues, the opening of liquor shops will greatly assist India to deal with this crisis economically. According to the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, the liquor industry contributes ₹2 lakh crore by way of various taxes, employs 2 million workers, and sustains livelihood for 4 million farmers across the country. If liquor shops are not opened, welfare programs may be adversely affected and many vulnerable communities such as the poor, the elderly, and hospitals will suffer.

If liquor shops are not opened, many illicit mafias will flourish and indulge in activities such as delivering alcohol to the doorstep at a higher price than normal or brewing it at home. As a result, a complete ban of alcohol would lead to an increase in bootlegging and a parallel liquor trade. To illustrate this, when America banned the sale of alcohol in 1920 the effects that followed were drastic. During the Prohibition, many mendacious gangs prospered from the illegal sale of alcohol. For example, the notorious and belligerent Al Capone made $60 million annually from bootlegging.

According to a study, 14 million people are dependent on alcohol and in need of help to quit. If liquor shops were closed these people would suffer heavily under withdrawal symptoms. Some alcoholics have even committed suicide due to the lack of alcohol.

According to the above arguments, we can see that while the effects of opening liquor shops may have adverse effects, the impact of closing liquor shops will result in enormously detrimental effects to both the economy and the livelihood of people employed in the alcohol industry or people under state welfare programs the state will no longer be able to support due to disadvantageous economic effects.

In conclusion, there are a multitude of benefits surrounding the closing of liquor shops; however, the disadvantageous impacts of opening them are far worse.