UAE lifts alcohol regulations, increases likelihood of arrest
In a move intended to further boost tourism, the UAE has relaxed the regulations on buying and consuming alcohol; but Gulf expert Radha...
In a move intended to further boost tourism, the UAE has relaxed the regulations on buying and consuming alcohol; but Gulf expert Radha Stirling warns the new rules do not make drinking any safer for foreigners in the Emirates.
Stirling, who is the CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, explains that the purchase and consumption of alcohol has never been the core legal issue in the UAE that puts visitors at risk of arrest, “The Emirates has suspended the sales tax on alcohol and is now offering free licenses to buy, drink, and transport alcohol,” She says, “This will make tourists and expats feel that it is now acceptable and safe to drink in the UAE; but that is a misreading of the situation. You could always buy and drink alcohol in the Emirates, albeit after jumping a few regulatory hurdles; very few people got arrested or prosecuted for purchasing or possessing alcohol. The real issue is that the UAE has no legally specified blood alcohol level that constitutes intoxication, which remains illegal. Essentially this means that someone can be arrested for having any trace of alcohol in their bloodstream.”