Alcohol sachet ban rejected

Stuff reports:

An Auckland community group concerned with keeping Eden Park secure has had its calls for a ban on alcohol sachets rejected by the Government.

Good. They are banned at Eden Park, as is the right of Eden Park. But it would be dramatic overkill to ban them through out New Zealand, in an attempt to stop them being used at Eden Park.

The small pouches contain 20 per cent alcohol and can be hidden in a hand, pocket or wallet. They are cheap, with six sachets costing about $10. According to one manufacturers’ website, this amount of alcohol “certainly packs more punch than your average RTD.”

And cost a lot more. I did the calculations in July:

This is for the equivalent of four standard drinks:

• 1 litre of 5% beer – $4.40
• 350 mls of 14% wine – $4.67
• 700 mls of 7% RTD – $4.82
• 140 mls of 37.5% spirits – $4.62
• 250 mls of 20% Cheeky – $20

So in fact they cost four to five times more than other drinks.