In his opening remarks at the meeting, the President said that past measures taken by the authorities to reduce alcohol consumption in Russia have not had any real effect and the problem remains serious. Alcoholism has reached the proportions of a national disaster, Mr Medvedev said.
The President said that the alcoholism problem can be addressed effectively through systemic and long-term action, and proposed introducing a series of restrictive and educational measures, as well as making more extensive use of other countries’ experience.