Booze loophole

I was interested in the letter from Alastair Macgilchrist and Alison Douglas in defence of Minimum Unit Pricing of alcohol in Scotland (17 November). Their position is one of ever-increasing prices as a means of combating alcohol intake in Scotland. Of course, the ultimate test of that sort of approach was adopted by the USA during Prohibition, which was a total failure as human nature simply finds ways around such blanket policies.

The problem is not best dealt with by pricing, as those with a drink problem will simply skimp on other expenditure to fuel their habit and we all know that.

Equally, in a state with two legal systems, such as Great Britain, the MUP in Scotland comes up against an open border to England, where MUP does not apply. Booze is, therefore, much cheaper over the Border and the off-licences in Berwick and Carlisle are the beneficiaries of increased pricing north of the Border.

Indeed, a friend popped into a major store in Carlisle on his way north, thinking that he might buy three litres of whisky and save £15 or so. At the till, the lady he paid said, “You’re from Scotland, aren’t you?”

He asked why she said that, only to be told that they have many visits from north of the Border seeking to stock up – to the benefit of their bank balances, if not their livers – which explains, in part, reduced sales in Scotland.

The solution to the drink problem is the same as the solution to Scotland's drug problem, which is not MUP. It is dealing with the root cause of the problem, and that is not governed by price.

ANDREW HN GRAY Edinburgh