Germany’s drugs czar wants higher age limits for alcohol

BERLIN (AP) — The German government’s drugs czar has proposed raising the legal age when people can buy beer and wine from 16 to 18, and cracking down on alcohol and tobacco advertising. Burkhard Blienert told the Welt daily in an interview published Friday that he believes there are “many medical reasons” to increase the purchase age even for lower-strength alcoholic beverages He was also quoted as saying that the rule allowing teens as young as 14 to drink beer, wine or champagne in the presence of their parents should be abolished. Conservatives expressed concern about the proposal. Tino Sorge of the opposition Union bloc said it was better for teens to drink with their parents than get “blind drunk at a party.”