The Sin Of Waste

Every now and again, the gardai will raid a shebbeen and haul away the evidence. There's a trial, the purveyor of illegal spirits is fined and/or jailed, and then what?

No need to store a lot of alcohol once the case is closed. The various bottles and cans are opened, poured down the drain, and the containers, one would hope, are brought to a recycling center.

Sure 'tis a sin to waste good liquor. Can it not be used in some manner that would bring benefit to those in need?

Chris Andrews would like to recycle the confiscated booze, to distribute drink amongst those who are dry. Why, last month alone, according to the Irish Times, 1600 miscellaneous containers were destroyed. Over the course of a year, that's a tremendous amount of perfectly good beverages down the drain.

In an effort to better serve his constituents, the Fianna Fail TD would like the law changed. Liquor from An Garda Siochana evidence rooms would be packed into lovely gift hampers and given to charities for fundraising auctions. Or, perhaps some local community organization would like to give away bottles of confiscated spirits to the old codgers at Christmas for a bit of liquid holiday cheer.

Why should a garda be put to the task of disposing of the stuff, when there's plenty of people in Ireland who would be perfectly happy to pour drink down their throats. Better that the officer of the law be out on patrol, looking for drink drivers, than wasting valuable time opening bottles and cans.

Waste not, want not. It's high time that the Intoxicating Liquor Act was amended.