Greenland's health minister hesitates on alcohol restrictions
Treatment services call for quick, concrete action from politicians. But discussions are necessary to ensure a balanced policy, says the Ministry of Health.
Greenland's health minister Anna Wangenheim, along with the government, has begun work on a long-term alcohol agreement. But there are many parties with different opinions, she says. (Photo: © Ina Fassbender, AFP/Ritzau Scanpix) 9 minutes ago.
Despite an alcohol-related killing in South Greenland and a fresh call from experts to tighten alcohol rules, Health Minister Anna Wangenheim will not promise specific changes right now.
She will only promise that political negotiations on an alcohol agreement will soon begin.
- We expect that before the end of the year, we will have held the initial discussions and decided on the basic principles, she says.
- We come from different parties and have different views on alcohol, and we need to reach an agreement on that.
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Major consequences for families with children
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At the treatment facility Katsorsaavik in Nuuk, founder and long-time therapist Grethe Kramer Berthelsen does not believe the government is acting fast enough.
- In my view, this must be one of the first or most important things to be done, she says.
Grethe Kramer Berthelsen is the founder of the treatment center Katsorsaavik, which has helped people overcome addiction for decades. (Photo: © Anda Hansen)
Through her work, she encounters some of the consequences that alcohol abuse can cause.
- It deeply affects society, and especially individual families. In the worst case, it is children who suffer. So it is a very heavy problem.
On average, a person from Greenland and a person from Denmark consume roughly the same amount of alcohol. But in Greenland, the social problems it causes are more visible.
- The amount of alcohol consumed has been declining. But the family problems concerning children, I believe, are increasing, says Grethe Kramer Berthelsen.
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'We are treading carefully'
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The Greenlandic Ministry of Health acknowledges that alcohol is a problem that particularly affects children. But Health Minister Anna Wangenheim does not think they are dragging their feet.
- I don't think we are moving too slowly. I think we are treading carefully.
She points out that the problems in Greenland cannot necessarily be handled with methods that work elsewhere.
Health Minister Anna Wangenheim believes the problems with alcohol are serious. But she refuses to make decisions that have not been discussed with the other parties first. (Photo: © Anda Hansen)
The recommendations from the council, for example, do not take into account that much of the party culture takes place outside bars, or long after closing time, she says.
- We can see in the police's annual reports that this is where the harm occurs. And we can no longer accept being silent witnesses to that, says Anna Wangenheim.
But what can you, as health minister, do to ensure that these regulations have an effect where it matters?
- We need to have a discussion about how we prevent these incidents from happening in private homes. And I don't have that solution off the top of my head.
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Alcohol consumption in Greenland and Denmark
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* In 2025, the average alcohol consumption per person over 14 years old in Greenland was 8.3 litres of pure alcohol.
* In Denmark, the average alcohol consumption was 8.8 litres of pure alcohol per person over 18 years old.
* 34 percent of people over 15 years old in Greenland drink five or more units on at least one occasion per month.
* 25 percent of people over 16 years old in Denmark drink five or more units on at least one occasion per month.
Sources: Statistics Denmark and Statistics Greenland, the Population Survey from 2018, and the National Institute of Public Health
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Recommendations perceived as restrictive
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Greenland's Health Council announced today that the problems with alcohol in Greenland are so great that stronger measures must be taken.
Therefore, the recommendations given to the Greenlandic parliament in 2024 should be implemented, it says.
These included, among other things, raising the age limit from 18 to 21, introducing a monopoly on alcohol sales, and limiting sales on weekends.
- It will clearly be perceived by many as relatively restrictive, but it is probably necessary. These are good recommendations and something that can protect children and young people, said the chairman of Greenland's Health Council, Kjeld Møller Pedersen.
Anna Wangenheim, how much should alcohol policy be tightened, if it were up to you?
- I cannot go into that further, but in Naalakkersuisut there is a strong desire to implement many parts of the alcohol recommendations.
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'It keeps getting shelved'
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At the addiction treatment center in the Greenlandic capital, the center's founder Grethe Kramer Berthelsen calls for quick and concrete action from politicians.
- It keeps getting shelved, she says.
- We cannot afford that. Our society cannot afford it, and our country cannot afford it.
In the clip below, you can hear the founder of Nuuk's addiction treatment center, Grethe Kramer Berthelsen, talk about the importance of swift political action. Photographer: Anda Hansen
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