Ninety years ago a ban was introduced in Finland on the production of drinks with an alcohol content of over 2 percent.

The ban was lifted in cities in 1932, and countrywide in 1968.

On the 90th anniversary of the prohibition, the daily Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (Finland) writes:

“The centuries can come and go, but one thing never changes: the Finn’s attitude to alcohol. … The ban ended, but alcohol remains a problem. When the tax on alcohol was lowered considerably five years ago, drinking patterns shot upwards. The Finns drink to get drunk, and alcohol increases the amount of violence, accidents and illnesses. The boozers of the North drink an annual per capita average of 10 litres of 100-percent alcohol. The Finns have a neurotic relation to alcohol, which still serves as an excuse for any stupidity, insanity and violence. In Finland the abstinence movement has a long tradition. It should once more become the trend.”