Santo Domingo. After the Constitutional Court declared the decree establishing the hours for the sale of alcoholic beverages unconstitutional, citizens consulted expressed mixed opinions regarding the need for the country to have a definitive law that regulates the operation of corner stores, bars, restaurants, and other establishments that sell these products.
While some consider that regulations would help establish controls and address social issues, others understand that restrictions affect nighttime economic activity and limit the rights of businesses and citizens.
Those who support permanent regulation point out that establishing schedules can contribute to order and coexistence.
“I see it as a good thing, because it is a way to control a little bit the situation that is increasingly plaguing the country. We must find a way to control those outbreaks and turn it into a definitive law,” expressed one of the citizens consulted.
Another interviewee considered that setting boundaries can avoid negative situations during the night and promote greater responsibility.
“This way we don’t have any more bad problems and we are inhibited so that nothing can happen. We human beings don’t respect the rules until the time they tell us that we must keep drinking,” he stated.
However, other citizens understand that a regulation of hours would not necessarily solve social problems and that each person must assume responsibility for their behavior.
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“It is unnecessary, everyone has to be mindful of their own control,” stated one of those consulted.
Along those same lines, another citizen questioned the effectiveness of maintaining restrictions, considering that those who wish to consume alcohol will seek alternatives.
“It’s not really necessary, because they are going to drink anyway, they are going to be the same. What do you mean they are going to buy?”, he/she maintained.
The discussion also opened a debate on the economic impact of established schedules, especially for small merchants and workers who depend on nighttime activity.
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One of the interviewees suggested that the restrictions may affect people who find in the night an opportunity to generate income.
“There are many people who make a living selling at night, because they cannot do it during the day. That should be restricted or removed, because there are many parents who have the right to eat. If they don’t sell, what are their children going to eat?”, he/she expressed.
Other citizens defended the need to eliminate nighttime restrictions, arguing that they affect the country’s nightlife and tourist activity.
“That has to be removed, because nightlife is disappearing here. This is a small country and people make a living by finding money on the street,” noted another interviewee.
He added that the restrictions have failed to reduce security problems and that they also impact the experience of foreign visitors.
“They said it was because of the trouble at night, and yet the crime continues. Put things as they should be so there can be nightlife in this country; it is already needed. Many foreigners have stopped coming for that very reason, because at 12 o’clock they can’t find anywhere to go,” he stated.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling has now opened a two-year period for the National Congress to establish, through legislation, the rules that will regulate the hours for the sale of alcoholic beverages, while current provisions remain in effect.
