Is the sale of liquor at petrol stations a good idea?

'The sale of alcohol at a petrol station' - that is one of the trending topics in South Africa currently. BP has officially been declared as the only petrol station in the country with a liquor license. But it is already looking bleak for the petrol stations as some South Africans, including the lobby group The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance South Africa, are absolutely against this development. 

You'll remember in June this year, the Pick n Pay Express at the BP petrol station in Radiokop, Johannesburg was the first to sell wine, with a planned rollout to other BP sites expected later in the year. Well, it seems the entire plan might not take off with the disapproving feedback most people are giving. 

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More specifically, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA) as they handed in a memorandum to BP South Africa on Wednesday calling for an immediate pause to their plans to apply for licences to sell alcohol at BP petrol stations across the country. 

In their memorandum, they included the following: 

- That the alcohol sales at petrol stations would increase a culture of drinking, even more so drinking and driving.

- BP, as a multi-national company and leader in the petroleum industry, should act in the interest of the common good, development, and public health.

-  Alcohol harm costs South Africa R38-billion yearly and was the most widespread drug of abuse in the country and the most harmful drug for users and non-users alike.

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So, we await the BP's response to see whether they will alter this new development or toss it completely. 

Main Image Courtesy: Supplied