Reforms: Hard News for Hard Drinkers

Let the Soviet oenophile rejoice. As part of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev’s antialcoholism campaign, liquor stores had cut their hours, selling their wares only from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Authorities have relaxed the rules a bit by allowing shops to sell wine and champagne from noon to 8 p.m. The hard stuff, however, is now officially available only between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., one hour less than before.

The hours were expanded after newspapers ran letters from disgruntled citizens complaining that those who merely wanted a glass of wine at family celebrations were forced to stand in endless lines with those stocking up on vodka. Soviet officials are apparently attempting to shift the country’s drinking habits away from vodka and toward less potent beverages. The marketing strategy is debatable. According to Soviet health officials, the antidrinking measures are driving alcoholics to substitute such dangerous substances as methanol and cheap cologne for vodka.