Cantonal Council ZG Canton Zug wants to lift the ban on serving alcohol to drunk people

Anyone who has had too much to drink in the canton of Zug has not been allowed to serve alcohol by law until now. In its first reading on Thursday, the cantonal council voted in favor of abolishing this ban.

Laura Dittli (center), the government councillor responsible, stated in the debate that the government did not want to trivialize alcohol consumption. However, the current regulation was proving difficult to implement in practice.

The preliminary committee was also against a ban on serving alcohol to drunk people. Commission president Rainer Leemann (FDP) said that the prevention of addiction was very important. "But we don't have to do that in the Hospitality Industry Act."

Manuela Käch (center) noted that the current regulation is very difficult to control. "We are not trivializing the problem. But it is hypocritical to promise solutions to the problem of addiction through this law." It would be better to invest in addiction prevention. The SVP spokesperson said that the law is "a dead letter" and is not even applied today. "We should streamline the law." The FDP, which had once submitted the motion, also spoke out in favor of abolishing the ban.

"Personal responsibility is not enough"

The arguments of those on the left of the Council in favor of the ban had no chance. Julia Küng (Alternative - the Greens, ALG for short) said that the downsides of alcohol consumption are often underestimated. 250,000 people die from it every year, she said. In addition, the current law does indeed have a preventative function.

Drin Alaj (SP) also did not want to lift the ban on serving alcohol to drunk people. The protection of citizens must have top priority. Experts would warn of the consequences of alcohol abuse. "Personal responsibility is not enough," he said. The cantonal council ultimately rejected the SP and ALG motion to waive the ban by 48 votes to 17.

The Cantonal Council also discussed whether or not alcohol should be sold from vending machines that are not open to the public. The preliminary committee wanted to lift the existing ban, as did the government. A clear majority of the cantonal councillors took the same view and rejected the ban by 52 votes to 14.

The final vote on the partial reform of the Hospitality Industry Act will take place after the second reading in the October session. If the referendum is not held, the partial revision should come into force in February 2025.