AI

I’ve said this. I’ll say it again. It’s not the government’s job to morally grandstand, virtue signal on alcohol and play mother. Everyone knows the effects of alcoholism and abuse. But no one wants to point out how TASMAC drinking and pub culture is way worse than what is followed in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Walk past any major junction in Tamil Nadu, and the state’s alcohol policy is right there in plain sight. Crowded, male-only storefronts and dingy attached enclosures. Everyone sees the damage of this subculture, yet nobody wants to talk about why it looks like this. Instead, the political reflex is to point at these boozed-up dens and demand total prohibition. That moral stance leaves the worst aspects of mass abuse completely intact while suffocating modern, regulated hospitality. We need to stop pretending this is a choice between TASMAC dens and total prohibition. 1. The Pain Points of the TASMAC Model • Through TASMAC, the government is the sole retailer. Because liquor revenue props up the state budget, the state is incentivised to maximize volume rather than curb harm. • Mass sales are overwhelmingly 180 ml "quarter" bottles of hard liquor (~42.8% ABV brandy, rum, and whiskey). Lower-ABV beer and wine make up a tiny fraction of consumption. • Cramped, poorly ventilated adjoining bars lack proper seating or food. They are designed for rapid, solitary intoxication rather than paced, social drinking. • Under the 1937 Prohibition Act, standalone resto-bars and microbreweries are effectively banned. Liquor is restricted to expensive star hotels (FL-3) and private clubs (FL-2), killing casual urban nightlife and high-end recreation. • Placing shops on main roads makes street-side intoxication impossible to ignore. Activists and politicians weaponize these scenes to morally justify total prohibition, making it politically toxic to approve clean, modern pubs. • Low-income workers are funneled into high-strength retail spirits, draining household wages and accelerating debt, liver disease, and domestic strife. Closing select shops doesn’t stop dependent drinkers. It just packs more people into fewer outlets or drives them toward illegal after-hours sales and toxic moonshine. 2. Why You Don't See This in Europe, Bengaluru, or Mumbai A common myth is that Europe has less alcoholism per capita than India. WHO data actually shows higher overall Alcohol Use Disorder rates across Europe’s total population simply because most Indians abstain. However, among Indians who dodrink, hazardous binge patterns are far worse. The real difference isn't if people drink but it’s what, where, and how they drink: •Europe: Private retail and meal-integrated table culture. Lower-ABV wine and beer dominate in open, mixed-gender cafés and pubs, keeping consumption paced and social. •KA & MH: Private licensing creates a two-tier system. While budget bars still exist for hard liquor, Bengaluru and Mumbai allow thriving microbreweries and gastropubs. Private competition forces operators to maintain hygiene, serve food, and build safe spaces. •TN: A 100% state retail monopoly paired with a ban on standalone casual bars. Responsible social drinking is locked inside five-star hotels, while mass consumption is trapped in utilitarian, high-proof dens. TBC… solutions in attached tweet. Hope you are taking notes- I know some of them you already know. Requires courage to take it. @CMOTamilnadu @VigneshTvkCbe @UpdatesChennai @NammaChennai_ @TVKVijayHQ @arivalayam @AIADMKOfficial @Keerthana4VNR @AadhavArjuna @TamilNaduInfra @Indicfederr0d @SudsG5 @7_5_Cobra