In a report, the Court of Auditors accuses the state of turning a blind eye to the dangers and consequences of alcohol.
For the Court of Auditors, the State has its share of responsibility in the consumption of alcohol which is at the origin in France of 49,000 annual deaths. In a damning report which should be made public next Wednesday, the Sages of rue Cambon believe that the state turns a blind eye to the alcohol problem in our country and accuses it of “complicity” and “complacency”, reveals Europe 1 this Monday.
After having analyzed for several months studies, sometimes contradictory, on the dangers of alcohol, the Court of Auditors concludes that current consumption benchmarks, 2 drinks per day for women and 3 for men, are not acceptable. They remind us that this drink has consequences from the first drink. In particular, it increases the risk of developing cancer.
A market that pays big for the State
In addition, the report points to the state’s lack of investment in medical research into the harms of alcohol. He gives an example of the United States, which would devote 10 times more resources to it. The Court also highlights the flaws in the prevention of drinking and driving, as the latest road safety figures show an increase in road fatalities.
If the French state is passive in the face of alcohol, it is because the economic stakes are gigantic, point out the Wise Men. In fact, the turnover of the alcohol sector was around 20 billion euros in 2011, and nearly 15 billion euros only for viticulture. The leading wine exporter in the world would therefore be more inclined to fight tobacco lobbies and impose the neutral package, than to adopt a firm policy vis-à-vis alcoholists. An apathy that could cost the state dearly. The Court indeed raises that one day the victims of alcohol could bring a lawsuit against the State, like the tobacco patients who obtained success.
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