Actor Kamal Haasan, also the president of the Makkal Needhi Maiam, visited the victims of the terrible event in Kallakurichi today following over fifty deaths from ingesting poisoned beer. He visited those undergoing treatment at the Kallakurichi Government Hospital and subsequently spoke before the media.
Emphasizing that alcohol is not new, Kamal Haasan cited Valluvar’s Thirukkural, which tackles drinking-related problems. Emphasizing the need for psychological awareness, he said governments should spend some of the income from alcohol sales to inform people about the risks of too heavy drinking.
Kamal Haasan drew comparisons between alcohol which cannot be totally outlawed due to such sad events and traffic is not stopped because of road accidents and vehicle speeds are not substantially lowered. He pointed out the prevalence of liquor stores relative to drugstores and underlined that big manufacturers and street retailers rely on alcohol sales. Suggesting that warning signs should be posted close to alcohol stores, he argued for encouraging safe consumption instead of outright ban.
Kamal Haasan cautioned against closing liquor stores right away, noting past events where prohibition had unexpected results. He used the United States as an example, where attempts at prohibition led to the growth in mafia activity and illegal alcohol trafficking. Kamal Haasan underlined the intricacy of the problem by concluding by saying that a flawless ban would cause additional mafias to develop.
