Sejm passes anti-alcohol bill with nationwide night sales ban and advertising ban

The vote in the Sejm

The Sejm passed the anti-alcohol bill, an amendment to the act on sobriety and counteracting alcoholism (print no. 2856), with 400 votes in favour, 29 against and 4 abstentions. The bill now goes to the Senate. TVP Info reports that the proposal, put forward by Lewica and Polska 2050, had divided the ruling coalition and the opposition, and that Civic Coalition (KO) backed it.

Business Insider reports that the PSL amendments were not included in the passed text, though PSL's separate project (print no. 2358), which defines terms to ease the growth of the wine sector, is still being worked on in the Sejm. The Senate will consider the act before it can take effect on 1 January 2027.

Night sales ban

The bill introduces a nationwide ban on selling alcohol from 22:00 to 06:00. The ban applies only to alcohol meant for consumption away from the point of sale, such as takeaway purchases in shops and at petrol stations. Restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels and airports would be exempt. Municipal councils (gminas) could also introduce restrictions on sales between 21:00 and 22:00 or between 06:00 and 09:00.

Deputy health minister Katarzyna Kęcka says the aim is to unify night sale hours across the country while leaving gminas the power to adapt the rules to local conditions, without affecting bars, restaurants and the hotel sector. Night prohibition already applies in Kraków, Tarnów, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Warsaw. Portal Samorządowy reports that night takeaway sales are already restricted in 206 gminas, home to about 7.5 million residents. Joanna Wicha (Lewica) argues that crime and police interventions fell in the gminas that restricted night sales.

Advertising, promotion and packaging

The bill imposes a general ban on advertising and promotion of all alcoholic drinks, including beer, which is currently permitted under conditions and may be broadcast only between 20:00 and 06:00. Portal Samorządowy reports that the ban would also cover non-alcoholic products sold under alcohol brands, such as '0 proc.' products, to close off what it calls surrogate advertising. Breaches could be fined between 30,000 zł and 1 million zł, or punished with a restriction of liberty.

The definition of promotion covers public tastings, giveaways, discount and loyalty schemes, prizes, lotteries and vouchers. Kęcka says this means the end of promotions such as '6+6' and lottery games, which she argues encouraged impulsive decisions harmful to health. Licence fees for alcohol sales would double. For drinks up to 18% alcohol the fee would rise from 525 zł to 1,050 zł, and for stronger drinks from 2,100 zł to 4,200 zł.

The bill also requires sellers to check a customer's age when in doubt, and mandates warnings on packaging about harm to pregnant women, driving after drinking and the effects on people under 18. Containers of up to 300 ml would have to be made only of glass or metal.

Coalition dispute and supporting data

Lewica and Polska 2050 argued during Wednesday's debate that limiting availability is necessary for health and safety reasons. Wioleta Tomczak (Polska 2050) said the costs of excessive drinking in Poland are estimated at 85 to 185 billion zł a year, while alcohol excise revenue is about 14 billion zł. Wicha cited research showing that 80% of society supports the changes.

PSL supports limiting alcohol availability but fears that some provisions could hit the Polish wine industry. Krzysztof Paszyk said that the amendments PSL prepared would ensure that one goal does not exclude that industry. A survey by the Ogólnopolska Grupa Badawcza for the GrowSPACE Foundation, published on 7 October among 1,000 respondents, found 80.21% support for the advertising restrictions. A 2025 GrowSPACE report, based on the same research, found that 62.7% of Poles aged 18 to 29 tried alcohol before turning 18, and 14% did so at age 14 or younger.