MAY THE THIRST
Scotland’s new minimum price for alcohol comes into force on May 1 .. and it’s set at 50p a unit
SCOTS will pay a minimum of 50p a unit for alcohol from May 1 under plans set out yesterday by the SNP.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said the move will save hundreds of lives after new figures revealed the human cost of the nation’s battle with the booze.
And the 50p price could even be set to rise following a fresh consultation.
SCOTLAND’S minimum unit price for alcohol will save hundreds of lives in the first five years, Shona Robison said yesterday.
The Health Secretary spoke as the SNP Government revealed that bargain superstrength booze will be banned from May 1 nest year.
The move will make Scotland the first country in the world to set a blanket minimum price on alcohol.
And the suggested baseline of 50p per unit could rise even further after a fresh consultation on the plans, which have been tied up in court for years.
Minimum pricing will raise the cost of cheap drink blamed for Scotland’s destructive relationship with the bottle.
Robison outlined her timetable for the crackdown as new official figures underlined the need for action.
Alcohol-related hospital admissions increased last year after a decade of decline. NHS statistics showed a 2.4 per cent rise from 35,376 to 36,235.
It means nearly 100 people a day went to an NHS hospital in Scotland because of drink.
The total includes a 10-year high for alcohol liver disease, the fourth annual increase in a row.
Alcohol’s impact on poorer communities was also laid bare.
People from the most deprived areas are nearly eight times more likely to be in hospital with drink-related illness than better-off Scots.
Psychiatric wards had 15 times as many patients from the poorest parts of Scotland.
Official figures in August showed there were 1265 deaths from alcohol-related illness last year, up 10 per cent on 2015.
At Holyrood yesterday, Robison said: “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 shows a minimum unit price of 50p would cut alcohol-related deaths by 392 and hospital admissions by 8254 over the first five years of the policy.
“I anticipate setting the minimum unit price at 50p.
“We now want to hear from retailers, representative bodies and licensing standards officers about the practicalities of implementation.”
Robison was told to consider pushing the draft price up from 50p before the law changes. She confirmed the timetable less than a week after the Supreme Court ruled the policy is legal.
Scotch Whisky Association chiefs had argued the move breached European law, tying it up in red tape for five years.
The SNP have been trying to push the policy for a decade.
Yesterday, the SWA said they will foot the bill for the Government’s legal costs.
MSPs said the latest damning health figures show the need for minimum pricing.
Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “In excess, alcohol hurts individuals, families and communities, while alcohol-related admissions put immense pressure on our hardworking NHS staff.
“This is especially shocking when you see that admission rates are nearly eight times higher for people from the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.
“Now we finally have the go-ahead for minimum unit pricing, I urge the Government to swiftly put it into practice as part of a new push to win the battle with the bottle.”
Labour’s Colin Smyth said: “Scotland needs real change to tackle problem drinking and any approach to tackling Scotland’s unhealthy drinking culture has to see an end to the SNP’s budget cuts to support services.”
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: “Increasing hospital stays and liver disease are deeply worrying.
“This data shows age, gender and social standing are no barrier to excessive consumption and, with alcohol-related deaths up this year, there has never been a clearer demonstration of the need for minimum unit pricing.”
A revised version of Scotland’s “alcohol framework” will be published to address the problem.