A total ban on the sale of alcohol has, according to Greenlandic police, led to a significant drop in crime in the Kommune Kujalleq (Southern Greenland).
However, such measures seem unrealistic here at home, according to several organizations and an expert that DR News has spoken with.
They point out instead that rules on alcohol consumption should be tightened.
"In Denmark, we have had great difficulty dealing with alcohol consumption, and we have had difficulty regulating it among young people when it comes to daring to adopt a slightly more restrictive approach," says Jakob Demant, a professor of sociology at the University of Copenhagen.
"There is no doubt that if we did that, we would also begin to see some effects on crime," says Demant, who has particularly focused on youth, alcohol, and crime.
-----------------------------------------
Current rules for purchasing and selling alcohol
-----------------------------------------
Currently, you can buy cider, beer, and similar alcohol products as long as the alcohol percentage is below six percent.
However, you can only buy beverages with a higher alcohol percentage and spirits once you have turned 18.
Valid photo identification is required if a seller at a physical point of sale is in doubt as to whether a customer is old enough to legally buy alcohol.
-------------------------------------------------
Accessibility impacts the extent of drinking
-------------------------------------------------
The total ban on alcohol sales in Southern Greenland came in the wake of an alcohol-related homicide, and the reason was the knock-on effects of alcohol consumption in the municipality.
And the ban has had an effect: the police have received fewer reports of domestic disturbances, assault cases, sexual crimes, and intoxicated people in the streets.
Read also: Greenlandic police celebrate alcohol ban that has led to a halving of reports.
According to Alkohol & Samfund, these experiences confirm what research and studies have long shown – the more people drink, the more accidents, violence, and boundary-crossing behavior follow.
Here at home, a Voxmeter report from June 2026, conducted for the interest organization, shows that 7.7 percent of those surveyed have been subjected to violence as a consequence of someone else's alcohol use.
Alkohol & Samfund supports a ban on the purchase and sale of alcohol to minors.
But the organization believes it should be seen in conjunction with, especially, several initiatives that limit how easy it is to get hold of alcoholic beverages.
"We know that the availability of alcohol has a very significant impact on how much is drunk, and on how severe a drinking culture we have, also in Denmark," says Director Maria Koch Aabel.
---------------------------------------------
The Greenlandic example gives food for thought
---------------------------------------------
The Danish Cancer Society also supports an age limit of 18 for the purchase and sale of alcohol.
> We think we have a far, far too lenient approach to alcohol > here at home.
"We think we have a far, far too lenient approach to alcohol here at home. And especially when it comes to protecting our children and young people," says Prevention Director Mette Lolk Hanak.
"With the Greenlandic example, there is reason to look at our own alcohol policy, which is quite lenient, and then take action on it."
Denmark is one of the least regulated countries in the area of alcohol, both organizations state, pointing out that politicians should also look at both the price and marketing of alcohol.
DR News has tried to get a comment from Minister of Health Ida Auken (Social Democrats), but she is not available to participate.
----------------------------------------------------
What does the alcohol bill actually amount to in Denmark?
----------------------------------------------------
In Denmark, alcohol-related diseases and health problems cost the healthcare system about 3.6 billion Danish kroner per year according to the Danish Health Authority.
This includes, among other things, treatment for alcohol-related liver diseases, poisonings, addiction, and other health problems.
The Danish Health Authority also calculates approximately 9.1 billion DKK annually in lost production due to alcohol-related illness, absence, and premature death.
Source: The Danish Health Authority's report 'Sygedomsbyrden i Danmark' (The Disease Burden in Denmark), 2022.
On the street in Aarhus, the proposal to raise the age limit receives a mixed reception.
Jann Lund, who is a night watch in the city, does not believe it will make a difference if the limit for alcohol with the lowest percentages is moved from 16 to 18.
"I don't think it will affect the way they (the young people, ed.) drink, or their culture surrounding it. It's about the environment they are in," he says.
Listen to him tell about the difference he sees between young people under and over 18 in nightlife.
The same opinion is held by 25-year-old Magnus Scweitz, whom DR met in the city of Aarhus.
"I can see where it's coming from. But sometimes you also have to let young people be young," he says.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.