13th May 2021

Barbados raises drinking age to 18

By Buzz Caribbean

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The age limit to legally buy or consume alcohol in Barbados has been raised to 18.

The law was passed in the country’s parliament on Tuesday.

Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds anyone caught selling alcohol to those under 18 or encouraging them to become involved in the business of selling liquor could be charged and fined up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both.

Additionally, the Minister said raising the age limit will address the concerns of alcohol abuse among the youth, and at the same time satisfy best international practices.

“We do this because once you go through the people who call themselves interest groups in Barbados, who call themselves stakeholders in Barbados, who call themselves part of our society with a social conscience, the child advocates etc, the National Council of Substance Abuse (NCSA), the insurance industry in Barbados who raised the real commercial concern about the frequency of accidents on the road and how at between age 18 and age 20,” he said.

“These are people who have long written to the ministry, long expressed their concerns, about the way in which the administration of liquor in this country or intoxicating beverages in this country has been conducted.”

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