FIVE years ago, MSPs voted to bring in a 50p minimum unit price for alcohol in Scotland. It was a well-intentioned and well-thought-out policy but it has since been stuck in the courts thanks to opposition from the Scottish Whisky Association.
Now, in a letter published in The Herald, 40 Scottish GPs have expressed their frustration with the delays to the policy and have called for it to be implemented immediately. The GPs, who work in some of the most deprived areas of Scotland, could not be clearer: make it happen.
The reasoning behind the GPs’ position is sound. People living in disadvantaged communities are much more likely to suffer harm and premature death from alcohol and yet alcohol is dirt-cheap – cider, for example, can be bought for as little as 18p per unit and lager for 26p. The consequences of these rock-bottom prices are seen in the damage alcohol does to health and the contribution it makes to the crime statistics.
Imposing a minimum price of 50p has the potential to change that by reducing consumption and therefore protecting people’s health and saving lives, and the continuing delays to the policy are difficult to stomach.
Minimum pricing cannot be the answer on its own, but if there is a chance it could transform the lives of people damaged by alcohol, then it must be given a chance. The SWA should reflect on that and call time on its opposition.
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