Pretoria - Tighter monitoring of alcohol trading outlets and pushing up the legal drinking age to 21 years will be among the proposals to be put forward during the second Biennial Substance Abuse Summit.
The three-day summit, to be held at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, will run from March 15 - 17 under the theme "An Integrated Approach: Towards a Drug Free Society."
The summit follows the recent establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on substance abuse that has made key policy proposals to tackle the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse.
The proposals also include the banning of alcohol advertisements, law enforcement, especially around taverns and sheebens.
The objective of the summit is to forge effective partnerships and national consensus on measures to address the growing phenomenon of alcohol and substance abuse in South Africa.
According to a recent World Health Organisation Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, South Africa is one of the leading countries in alcohol abuse disorders.
The summit will culminate in the adoption of a National Declaration that will guide the development of the five-year national programme of action.
Among the representatives expected to attend the summit are President Jacob Zuma, who is to deliver the key note address; non-government organisations, community role players and those fighting substance abuse in rural areas and farms.
