By Wendy Anders

Costa Rica’s constitutional court recently upheld the regulation of the cultural content of advertisements for alcoholic beverages, according to a judicial press statement released Friday.

Stating that “prohibiting the use of national symbols and folkloric music in publicity campaigns for alcoholic beverages is meant to avoid associating alcohol consumption with the culture, values, nature, and national history represented by these symbols and music.”

Controling ads for liquor is needed to “protect the public’s health and especially the health of minors,” said the court, which ordered a modification of advertising regulations passed by the Ministry of Health in an executive decree, Decreto Ejecutivo 37739-S, in 2013.

The changes required by the court include excluding private sector representatives and advertising agencies from voting on a commission set up to review all liquor-related publicity. This is to allow for an objective decision-making process.

The court suggested that the commission on alcohol-related advertisements receive training and draw on the knowledge of institutions such as the Institute on Alcohol and Drugs (IAFA) and the Child Protection Agency (PANI).

The judge presiding over the case abstained, and stated the decision was groundless.