Capital may alter hours for alcohol

By NACHA CATTAN

The News

A bill that would require all bars in Mexico City to stop serving alcohol at 2:30 a.m. passed a city Assembly committee on Wednesday.

The legislation would do away with after-hour clubs and cantinas in a bid to curb alcoholism and reduce drunk-driving accidents - one of the main causes of death among young people in the capital.

If the bill passes the full Assembly - which could happen as soon as Thursday - liquor stores would have to close up shop by midnight and nightspots will have until 3 a.m. to escort patrons out.

The bill also puts a cap on open bars, a measure that was applauded by liquor industry representatives on Tuesday, who said that unlimited and often cheap alcohol service promotes the unregulated sale of liquor beverages.

"The idea isn´t to stop young people from having fun, but to prevent their principal reason for gathering together [from being] alcohol," Isaías Villa, the assemblyman who introduced the bill, told The News.

But critics warn that barkeepers will simply bribe police to prevent their taps from running dry before 3 a.m. and hurting their business.

They note that current laws restricting watering holes from opening past 4 a.m. are often ignored.

"Police will come and owners will say, `Here is your 500 pesos,´ " said Enrique Alvarez, an education administrator from the Benito Juárez borough in Mexico City.

"Why do we have to suffer just because of a few people who get wasted and crash their cars?"

The initiative would also require all hotels to offer condoms, either for sale or for free, in case customers request them.

Another key component of the bill would give city borough officials a 10-day deadline to reject requests to open restaurants, hotels and theaters.

If the borough does not respond to a request in time, the establishments can open their doors automatically instead of waiting months for approval, Kenia López, a member of the Assembly, told The News.

"This will boost jobs," López said.

I have some questions:

1. What do you think about this?

2. What do parents think?

3. Will this bill change young people's habits to drink?

4. Is this a good measure to stop car crashes after 2 am?

5. How will " the pre-copeo" be stopped?


I am quite sure the answer to many of today´s problems is "education".