A final draft has been drawn up of the Alcohol Consumption Control Bill, which will cover all aspects of the national control of alcohol consumption, said Dr Narong Sahamethapat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department.

The Bill took the Public Health Ministry a year to draft, he said.

Narong said the next step was to conduct a series of public hearings next month in eight provinces, representing all regions of the country.

Public comments, including from alcohol companies and advertising agencies, will be presented to the national committee on alcohol consumption control before the bill is forwarded to the Cabinet.

Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat chairs the committee.

Passing the law could take a long time, he said, given that the country had no functioning government.

Apart from imposing a total ban on alcohol advertising and sales promotion, the draft bill also covers zoning areas where alcohol may be sold and days when sales are banned entirely.

The bill is aimed at getting the nation to drink less, particularly young people.