Lauri Beekmann: minors have no place in Estonia's alcohol trade

Anti-addiction expert Lauri Beekmann argues that Estonia should not allow legal exceptions that involve minors in the production and sale of alcohol. He contends that such loopholes contradict the state's stated goal of reducing young people's contact with alcohol.

Estonia's efforts to reduce youth alcohol consumption are being undermined by a legal contradiction, according to addiction policy expert Lauri Beekmann. While the state's declared aim is to delay the age at which young people first encounter alcohol, current legislation contains exceptions that permit minors to be involved in alcohol production and sales.

Beekmann argues that these two positions cannot coexist. If Estonia is serious about protecting young people from early exposure to alcohol, the law must be consistent — it cannot simultaneously promote abstinence among youth while allowing them to handle or sell the very substance they are meant to avoid.

The expert points out that involving minors in the alcohol industry — even in a limited or supervised capacity — normalises their relationship with alcohol at a formative age. This kind of routine exposure, he suggests, runs counter to the well-established public health consensus that delaying the onset of alcohol consumption has long-term benefits for individual and societal health.

Beekmann's position calls on Estonian lawmakers to close these legal loopholes and bring the legislation into alignment with the country's broader public health objectives. In his view, the state sends a contradictory message to young people when it preaches caution around alcohol on one hand while creating legal space for their involvement in its trade on the other.

The debate reflects a wider tension in Estonian alcohol policy between economic interests — particularly in sectors such as craft brewing and hospitality — and the country's public health commitments. Beekmann's commentary is likely to reopen discussion in the Riigikogu about how far existing exceptions in alcohol law should extend when minors are concerned.