The Russian government has prepared amendments to the legislation providing for a ban on the production and sale of alcohol in plastic bottles larger than 1.5 liters, reported on the website of the Cabinet. It is expected that this will reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages, which dropped significantly during the crisis.

“The bill is aimed at establishing a phased ban on the production, trafficking and retail sale of alcoholic beverages in consumer packaging (consumer packaging or packaging made entirely of polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate and other polymeric material)”, – the document says.
The production of alcoholic products in plastic containers larger than 1.5 liters will be banned from 1 January 2017, the retail sale of alcohol in such containers – from 1 July 2017.
As noted by RIA “Novosti”, the proposed amendments provide for administrative penalties for violations of the prohibition. For the production and sale of such products officials proposed to fine in the amount from 100 to 200 thousand with confiscation of subjects of an administrative offence or without that”. For legal entities provides for fines of 300 to 500 thousand roubles with possible confiscation of subjects of an administrative offense”.
According to the Moscow scientific-practical center of narcology, over the past five years, alcohol consumption in Russia fell by almost a third – from 18 to 12 liters a year in terms of pure alcohol. As one of the reasons driving experts point to save the crisis, at the same time warning: consumption may increase if the life will become even harder.