Starting in January, France will double the tax on all alcopops, hoping to put the price of the alcoholic drinks beyond the reach of the adolescent market.

"A preference for these products among adolescents is something we have identified as a new international trend," said France's Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. "We can see it across the whole of Europe. Everywhere there is a new type of intoxication -- a 'weekend intoxication.'"

President Jacques Chirac, who pushed for the amendment to a public-health bill, said the revenue raised from the tax would be used on programs to combat alcoholism.

"The increase is essential for public health because pre-mixed drinks and other 'alcopops' are manufactured in order to capture an ever-younger clientele," the government said in the preamble to the bill. "What we are trying to do is discourage consumption of alcoholic drinks whose strong alcoholic taste or whose bitterness has been masked by the addition of other products. The sale of these drinks is a pure marketing strategy aimed at young consumers, who are attracted by the sweet taste."

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