Scotland will introduce minimum alcohol pricing of 50p per unit as of May next year, the Scottish government has announced.
The date was revealed by Scottish health secretary Shona Robison, who said the government wants to introduce the minimum unit pricing (MUP) as soon as possible.
Scotland will be the first country to introduce MUP on alcohol after the UK Supreme Court last week dismissed an appeal by the Scotch Whisky Association, following a five-year legal battle.
The move is a response by the Scottish Parliament to tackle the nation’s high level of drinking by raising the price of cheap, super-strength alcohol.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Robison said: “There were 1,265 alcohol-related deaths last year, up 10% on 2015, while just today we see statistics showing a 2% annual increase in alcohol-related hospital stays. These numbers are completely unacceptable. Behind every one of these statistics is a person, a family and a community.
“With alcohol on sale today at just 18p a unit, we have to act to tackle the scourge of cheap, high-strength drink that causes so much damage.”
Research has revealed that an MUP of 50p would cut alcohol-related deaths by 392 and hospital admissions by 8,254 over the first five years of the policy.
It is estimated that alcohol misuse costs Scotland £3.6 billion a year. Its drinking problem is far worse than the rest of the UK. In 2016, 17% more alcohol was sold per adult in Scotland than in England and Wales.
Chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association Paul Waterson was among the industry leaders to give their opinions following last week’s ruling.
“Alcohol consumption in the UK has more than doubled over the last 40 years,” he said. “As consumption has increased, so has alcohol-related harm. The consequences of this abuse affects all of us, and costs society more than £2 billion a year.”
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