Parents of teen binge drinkers are to be fined

Madrid/Palma.—The Spanish Government has presented an anti-alcoholism draft bill which would impose €300  fines on the parents of under-18s who knowingly allow their children to get drunk.
The fines on parents or guardians are part of a larger plan by Spain’s Health Ministry which looks at cracking down on binge drinking among young people.
The trend has been nicknamed ‘the Nordic model’, in reference to the alleged speed-drinking habits of Britons, Germans and other nationalities in northern Europe, which differ from the traditional Spanish way of drinking while eating.
“The idea of fining parents of children who drink is not a bad one. It would make parents more aware of the problem and they could take more responsibility for their children because of a fear of being fined,” María Rodríguez Renovales, spokesperson for the Spain’s anti-drug abuse foundation FAD said.
But Renovales said the chief problem was policing the measure.