Doctors’ leaders criticised Labour’s opposition to minimum pricing, a stance which appears to have scuppered the Scottish Government’s attempt to see this become law.
However, the drinks industry has said minimum pricing is not the answer to Scotland’s alcohol problem and that it will disadvantage “innocent” consumers and businesses.
Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said Scotland’s alcohol consumption rates were “staggering” and that doctors witnessed the harmful effects of alcohol everyday.
“We believe that the measures outlined in this Bill offer a way out of this national epidemic.”
Dr Keighley said he was “confounded” by Labour’s decision not to back minimum pricing.
“Almost half of all deaths could be prevented by lower alcohol consumption. It is now our national duty to ensure that we do all we can to do what we can to tackle this epidemic,” he added.
His comments come after Scots Labour leader Iain Gray said his MSPs would oppose minimum pricing.
He said Labour had previously had an open mind on the plans but its impact on the drinks industry was not clear.
The proposed minimum price, he said, would add to supermarket profits without a penny going to the Government to reinvest in treatment for people with alcohol problems.
He also criticised the Government for refusing to say what level the minimum pricing would be fixed at, although ministers have given strong indications it would be around 40p per unit of alcohol.
Mr Gray said: “We would be asked to support proposals with no idea whether they were going to work or what impact they would have.
“We have come to the conclusion that what they are proposing is not workable and we cannot support it.”
Jack Law, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, hit out at Labour, stating: “Establishing a minimum price for alcohol is the most important element of the range of proposals the Government is proposing in the Alcohol Bill.
“Its rejection by Labour is a major blow which could set back our attempts to make a positive change to Scotland’s drinking culture.”
Professor Sir Neil Douglas, of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said drink caused an “appalling” number of deaths and called on politicians to “recognise that the time has come for action and not more words”.
He said: “Further delay may only result in the preventable loss of Scots’ lives.
“The message is clear: there is an unequivocal link between price, the level of alcohol consumed and, in turn, the level of ill-health and premature death.”
And Dr Bruce Ritson, of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said he is “deeply disappointed” by Labour’s stance.
“The damage caused to Scottish society by the widespread availability of cheap alcohol is clear to see. How much longer does Scotland have to wait before effective action is taken?”
He said his organisation will continue campaigning for a minimum alcohol price but, he added: “It would be very regrettable if something as important as Scotland’s health became a party political issue.”
Strathclyde Police Chief Constable Steve House said introducing a minimum price for alcohol would help reduce crime and violence in Scotland.
“I welcome the publication of this draft bill on minimum alcohol pricing,” he said.
“While I recognise that there may be opposition to the proposals, it is my view that pricing does have an impact on consumption.
“The past few years have seen more and more people buy their alcohol from supermarkets and off-licences. The reason for this is quite clear: it is cheaper to get it there than it is from a pub or club.
“This issue requires tough choices and strong leadership. I have no doubt that enforcement has an important role to play in tackling crime and violence.
“However, culture change will not come from enforcement alone. It may not be popular to make alcohol more expensive but it is the right thing to do.
“It is right for our young people, it is right for our communities and it is right for my officers who have to deal with the aftermath of drink-fuelled violence and crime.”
However, Jeremy Beadles, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, welcomed the stance taken by politicians to oppose the measure.
Mr Beadles said: “Despite the fact that the Government’s own figures show overall alcohol consumption in Scotland is falling, ministers seem determined to pursue proposals which will hit innocent Scottish consumers and businesses.
“Scotland deserves better than a piece of legislation which fails to focus on the real issue.”
Ian Shearer, of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said “no simple link between price and irresponsible consumption” of booze exists.
“Irresponsible drinking is primarily a cultural issue and so making all customers pay more is the wrong approach.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article