Editorial for 01 March: Be careful what you wish for

North Side Member of the Legislative Assembly Ezzard Miller
recently suggested it was illegal to advertise alcohol in print media. We
believe we put that matter to rest by pointing out in an article that print
media is not included in the term “broadcast” as cited in the law itself.

But Mr. Miller was successful in bringing to everyone’s
attention that the law was not being enforced when it came to those companies
to which the term “broadcast” applied, namely radio. As a result, we are aware
that at least one major alcohol distributor has decided to stop advertising on
the radio.

In addition, although Mr. Miller was proved wrong about his
contention with regard to print media, he has suggested that he will bring
legislation – presumedly if he becomes part of the next government – to expand
the law to include print media.

Ignoring the fact that attempts to legislate morality
invariably fail miserably, if Mr. Miller were successful in ending all
advertising of alcoholic beverages, there would be a string of consequences
that could have damaging effects to the people of the Cayman Islands.

There is no denying that when alcohol is misused it can and
does lead to a variety of social problems. Of course, the same could be said of
tobacco, fast food, sugar and a variety of other legal products. But the
advertising of alcohol brands supports a large swath of worthwhile activities,
including sporting events and sports teams, charity events, culinary events,
social events such as concerts, and even festivals like Pirates Week. Alcoholic
beverage advertising also supports the local businesses that sell them,
providing jobs for Caymanians, and in turn helping these media businesses
afford to support the community through sponsorships of all kinds of events,
including those for youth groups and churches.

We agree with Mr. Miller on one thing though; he said that
if the government didn’t want the law there, they should change it. Instead of
trying to protect people by morality legislation, we believe that the
government should repeal the section of the law that bans radio advertising of
alcoholic beverages and instead work with the alcohol distributors to more
effectively promote responsible drinking in the Cayman Islands.