By Maggie Tait of NZPA

Wellington, July 30 NZPA - The Law Commission wants to reopen the argument around the legal age young people can buy alcohol and it is urging the Government to show leadership and not allow conscience votes on the issue.

The Law Commission today released Alcohol in Our Lives, an issues paper on reforming New Zealand's liquor laws.

It contained a raft of ideas for the public to consider including a new Sale of Liquor Act, more taxes on booze, greater restrictions and powers around licensing, shorter opening hours for pubs and more investment in rehabilitation.

A final report with recommendations would go to the Government to consider in November after public submissions were considered.

Commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer said it was time to "curb the harm" alcohol caused.

Young people were drinking more and sooner. Youth Court judges told the commission that children as young as eight were drinking alcohol and suffering development problems because of it.

The commission recommended a split purchase age for alcohol, making it 18 on premises, and 20 at off licences.

The drinking age was controversially lowered from 20 to 18 in 1999 and since then attempts to reverse the decision have failed.

Sir Geoffrey said the split proposal would not be confusing.

"We are wanting to break the cycle where young people go to the off licence, they fuel up -- front end load is what it's called by police -- they get quite merry then they come into town."

Finding licensed premises expensive, youth often then ended up drinking on the street which caused disorder in central town areas.

Sir Geoffrey said a complete return to the 20-year age was worth considering as research showed problems had increased since the change.

However, he did not think it likely.

"We feel that it's pretty hard to put that genie back into the bottle altogether -- in the sense that law reform is the art of the possible I think."

He urged the Government not to treat any resulting legislation as a conscience vote. Most legislation is voted on by party line but issues like sex, drugs and religion are left to individual MPs' consciences.

Justice Minister Simon Power said it was too early to say what ideas would be supported.

On the split age he said there could be complications and he wanted to see the submissions.

Mr Power previously voted to retain the 18 age limit.

"I think that any potential legislation around the regulatory issues has the potential to be dealt with as party matters, but issues relating to the age of purchase have of course historically been conscience issues."

He said that would be up to individual parties to decide.

Other options raised in the report included:

* a completely new Sale of Liquor Act -- Sir Geoffrey said bartenders had to use the legislation that had been amended many times and was hard to follow;

* raise tax on alcohol or reducing excise tax on low alcohol products;

* reduce hours in which alcohol can be purchased. The idea was to stop new people entering premises at 2am but let them leave gradually to stagger the numbers hitting the street at once;

* close off licences from 10pm until 8am.

* expand criteria under which liquor licences can be declined, and expand conditions that they have to meet;

* lower the allowed blood alcohol level and require repeat drink drivers to have disabling devices installed in vehicles.

Researching the paper, Sir Geoffrey went out with police to several centres.

Wellington's Courtenay Place was a scene of mayhem and disorder, and hometown Nelson was an eye-opener: "I saw some things there I didn't expect to see... People need to get a hold of themselves."

Sir Geoffrey said police took 20,000 people either home or to be held in cells every year. He did not think taxpayers should fund police to be nursemaids for drunks.

District Court judges estimated up to 80 percent of offenders suffered drug and alcohol addictions but there were few places in treatment programmes.

Commissioner Val Sim detox centres were needed so police had somewhere safe to leave drunk people and where they could get help; brief early interventions were needed to prevent drinking problems growing and the rehabilitation work force needed development.

The report included information supplied by judges and doctors in support of the changes.