The poorest alcoholics ‘could turn to drugs’
PEOPLE deterred by the rising cost of cheap alcohol could turn to “street drugs” such as Spice instead, it has been claimed.
Christopher Snowdon, the director of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) could spell disaster for the heaviest drinkers.
He claims the poorest alcoholics could switch from strong beer and cider to illicit alcohol, methylated spirits and formerly legal highs.
The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill was introduced by the Welsh Government last month with the aim of reducing the health effects of excessive drinking.
If introduced, cider and beer drinkers who buy from supermarkets and off licences will be hardest-hit.
A 50p per unit minimum price would force Tesco to double the cost of a 20-pack of Strongbow, currently £11, to £22. An 18-pack of Stella Artois would rise from £13 to £19.
The Bill is unlikely to face any major legal challenges if passed, after Supreme Court Justices dismissed a legal challenge from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) which claimed the legislation breached European Union law.
The decision cleared the way for the Scottish Government to bring in the policy more than five years after MSPs passed legislation for it.
But Mr Snowdon claims the court ruling could actually make addiction more deadly.
Writing in Spectator Health, he said: “Advocates of minimum pricing might hope that their policy will put an end to alcoholism and street drinking, but the reality-based community knows that isn’t going to happen.
“The question is, what will the heaviest drinkers turn to? With every unit of alcohol costing the same amount at the bottom end of the market, I suspect that Scotland [and Wales] will see a big fall in the sale of strong beer and cider, to be replaced with spirits, illicit alcohol and – for the very poorest alcoholics – methylated spirits. Others may turn to drugs such as Spice, the formerly legal high that is currently ravaging the homeless community,” wrote Mr Snowdon.
Spice, otherwise known as Black Mamba or Frozen Spice, has been linked to shocking video footage of people slumped and passed-out on high streets in broad daylight.
It is marketed as an alternative to cannabis by drug-dealers but the two drugs are chemically very different.
Mr Snowdon added that MUP is a policy that “clobbers the poor” and will also hit those on average incomes. For the people of Scotland and Wales, he said, minimum pricing offers nothing but a higher cost of living.
“It is a myth that the policy will only affect the very cheapest drinks. In reality, a 50p unit price will raise the cost of most of the beer, cider and spirits sold in the off-trade and will raise the price of about a third of the wine.
“The only categories of alcohol that will be totally unaffected are alcopops and sparkling wine.
“Doctors and the MPs can rest assured that the price of Champagne at their Christmas parties will not be going up.
“It would be more accurate to say that minimum pricing is a policy that exempts the rich.”
Giving evidence to the Welsh Assembly’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council Dr David Bailey rejected Mr Snowdon’s claims and said: “Street drugs are not as cheap as people think.
“The evidence is that a bunch of spice is £20 in Manchester and £35 in London. It doesn’t compare to 50p at all.
“I think that it’s something that’s been put forward by the [alcohol] industry as a smokescreen.”
Dr Bailey also told the committee about the impact that alcohol misuse has on others that he sees on a regular basis.
He said: “[Alcohol misuse] makes you poor, it breaks up families, increases homelessness – it’s social impact is almost entirely negative.”
BMA Cymru Wales is calling on the AMs to support the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill, saying it is part of a suite of actions that need to be taken to combat alcohol misuse, alongside the funding of specialist alcohol treatment services.