Finally, a drinking age?

last updated 8 January 2015

Athens

Youngsters may soon have to wait until they’re 18 to drink alcohol in Greece. The tourist-friendly country has long had Europe’s most permissive alcohol policy. Bars are open round the clock, and any child can buy a bottle of vodka or whiskey at a kiosk on the way to school. “This out-of-control situation can’t continue,” Health Minister Elpida Tsouri said this week. She cited new statistics that show even elementary school children spend much of their allowance on cigarettes and alcohol, while 16-year-olds spend up to half. The Health Ministry, fearing “a coming crisis in alcohol abuse,” has proposed instituting a legal minimum drinking age.