In five years, the alcohol consumption of the Russians has almost halved

Alcohol consumption in Russia has dropped by more than 40 percent over the past five years – Russia’s Health Minister Veronyika Szkvorkovska announced on Tuesday at a special meeting in Moscow.

Szkvorkovska told the RIA Novosy news agency that the optimal minimum age for legal alcohol buying would be 21 years. Earlier, Tatyana Golikova Deputy Prime Minister responsible for social affairs mentioned the possibility of lifting the restriction from 18 to 20 years in order to reduce alcohol consumption. (MTI)