Store Clerks to Start Requesting ID From All Alcohol Buyers Appearing Under 30
Starting today, major store chains will start asking to see ID when anyone who looks under the age of 30 purchases alcohol.
The new policy is the initiative of the National Institute for Health Development and the Estonian Traders Association.
The legal age limit to purchase alcohol in Estonia is 18. As it is the first week of summer vacation for Estonian pupils and with just two weeks away from the alcohol-heavy national holiday Jaanipäev, the timing for such a campaign seems appropriate.
According to an expert from the Institute for Health Development, Mariliis Tael, the campaign should make it easier for store employees to detect minors who are buying alcohol.
"Unfortunately, the first glance at a person does not reveal if they're 16, 19 or 24. [...] When our merchants ask for the ages of those approaching 30, the chance of any mistakes drops significantly and 16-year-olds have no reason to attempt a purchase," Tael said in a press release.
The following store chains have agreed to join the campaign: ETK, Rimi, Tallinna Kaubamaja, Selver, Prisma Peremarket, ABC Supermarkets, Maxima and Keila TÜ.
A similar policy was adopted in Finland last January and has been in effect for years in countries like Holland and the United States.