Bill Re-Submitted To Allow Home Brewing For Private Consumption

Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson, MP for the Pírate Party, has re-submitted a bill to lift the ban on home brewing for private consumption.

The bill is also backed by other members of the Pirate Party and is even receiving support from the ranks of the Reform Party, the Social Democrats and the Left-Greens.

The bill has been submitted to to Parliament several times but has always been rejected. Currently, the law states that home brewing for private consumption is prohibited.

However, home brewing has been common practise in Iceland over the past few years despite it being illegal.

“The ban on the production of alcohol for private consumption is no longer relevant in Icelandic society.”

Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson

A statement from Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson states, “If the act was outrageous or in conflict with the public interest, it could be assumed that such an attitude would appear in the general debate on alcohol issues, but this is not the case.

“Alcohol issues are rightly very controversial and the fact must be taken into account that neither the authorities nor the public seem to be interested in enforcing the ban.

“The ban on the production of alcohol for private consumption is no longer relevant in Icelandic society.”

Government refuses to back down on the matter.

A bill was submitted to parliament in 2018 that requested the removal of three words in the current Alcohol Act. Those three words being “for personal consumption” in reference to home brewing.

In other words, home brewing for the purpose to sell would remain illegal whilst private use would be legalized.

The Directorate of Health opposed the lift on home brewing in 2018 in a statement saying that any changes to the Alcohol Act that could potentially increase access to alcohol will in turn lead to an increase in alcohol consumption and have a negative impact on health.

Fágun, an association of fermenters, submitted a comment on the matter last year. This statement makes reference to other western countries that allow for home brewing and comments that the Icelandic authorities generally turn a blind eye to home brewing, provided it is carried out for private use.

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