Tasmac closure : Ban not the answer
With the closure of 500 liquor shops run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) last week, the call for total prohibition has reared its head again in TN. The closure of the shops, welcomed by the local communities, leaves 4,829 retail vending shops in the state. TN has had an on-off relationship with prohibition. Total prohibition does not work. For better or worse, human beings like their tipple and have liked it for all our history.
Barring access to liquor only pushes people towards risky behaviour in search of a high that can lead to serious illness, permanent disability and even death. TASMAC, founded in 1983, is meant to be a middle path by which the state government controls access to ‘safe’ liquor for its citizens. Of course, this path may fail in preventing abuse of alcohol, as evidenced by the death of over 20 people in TN from drinking spurious brews, if not supported by law enforcement and education of users.
People have a right to choose—to drink, study, marry, etc. Sometimes those rights may be exercised in ways that cause harm to themselves, others and society. The solution, then, is not always to remove choice. Child marriage, for instance, is not stopped entirely by a legal ban. Nor is education accessed by all simply by making it mandatory. Citizens are incentivised to make a choice that may benefit them and society in the long run by holistically addressing the factors that influence certain choices. When it comes to liquor, a moral outlook affects how society looks at it and how it impacts politics and policy. However, the common allegation that the state funds its welfare schemes through the sale of liquor holds a kernel of truth.
There is a central paradox in TASMAC wherein a company may look to earn profits when its goal is to prevent abuse. This is how shops have opened in areas they shouldn’t be in: near places of worship or educational institutions. But in calling for prohibition, politicians merely bandy a phrase they hope might win votes. What TN truly needs is sustained educational interventions and awareness of alcohol use, abuse and the disease of alcoholism, especially among school and college students. Investment in de-addiction and rehabilitation should be a priority. Police and communities must be sensitised on domestic violence and how to help survivors. Unfortunately, none of these interventions makes for snappy slogans.