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"sbillings":3gjvqxs2 wrote: MAF, criminals are already involved in the alcohol trade and have been for a very long time. When I was in college there was a house you could go to, knock on the back door and buy slabs of Fosters at a very good price. I was already homebrewing then, so I didn't avail, but I knew people who did.

It's not just from the dodgy bloke in the bad part of town that you can get your smuggled beer either. I have been served bottled beer in the on trade in Dublin and Cork which had been purchased in France and resold here.

This is a result of price inflation by our government and the more they raise the price, the more of this will go on. That is what I meant when I said criminals will prosper. People will buy their alcohol from criminals and the pubs and off licences will loose trade because they have to charge the government sanctioned price.

This is already happening with cigarettes.[/quote:3gjvqxs2]I know all about smuggled booze, we could get it delivered by a taxi driver in my youth <!-- s:!: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt="" title="Exclamation" /><!-- s:!: --> What Andrew suggested there would be gangland wars about is illegally produced alcohol, not cheap booze from abroad. This I cannot see happening. I know poteen is made on a small scale, but I cannot see people getting killed over hooch turf wars.

Nope cant see that myself, however, the point is, its a step in that direction.

This time it wont be puished over that threshold but who's to say it wont get to the levels cigarettes are at in time.

This is definitely a player in gangland activity.

There was a documentry not so long ago about counterfeit belgian beers.

Also some lock-up in England exploded and the fire brigade reckoned there was about 60 gallons of illegaly distilled alcohol in there. I think maybe people died in the fire.

If prices continue to rise then smuggling will increase but also so will locally produced counterfeit products.

Its called "Supply and Demand" and this simple economic model explains why drug traficking WILL NEVER BE CONTROLLED by law enforcement and punishment of the guilty.

Lets exagerate:
The Year is 2014. New tougher drug laws passed: Caught supplying drugs? - Sentenced to death!!.

This will only up the price as some people are so desparate to earn the by-now HUGE markups that death is not a threat to them.

The only way that will possibly work is to tackle Demand.

This is achievable by socio-economic reshaping/restructuring and education of the users.


Will

Education is the key I think. Take alcohol advertising away completely from society and it will take over a generation to possibly change perceptions of alcohol. Show a balanced argument to kids in schools..the dangers and the history. Booze has been used for thousands of years to celebrate, refresh vand nourish us. It will still take Years to change this....or is this what they want to change...probably not but Slapping a charge on it ain't gonna make a dent. Start with the kids and they might have a chance. They did it with smoking so it may work, but I'd imagine to a lesser extent.

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Or maybe more people will start to brew their own <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->

Seriously I think there are some very vivid imaginations at play here lads

&amp;quot;Spud 395&amp;quot;:3g5l9vjt wrote: Or maybe more people will start to brew their own <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->

Seriously I think there are some very vivid imaginations at play here lads[/quote:3g5l9vjt]

I think it just goes to show what happens when a bunch of educated people gain access to dirt cheap alcohol aka. "HomeBrew". They use their brains!!!

Will