THERE have been some signs of hope in recent years that Scotland could be taking some small steps to fixing its problem with alcohol. There has been an increase in the number of teenagers who do not drink, or drink very little, for example. And since 2007 the general trend in the amount of alcohol sold per adult has been downwards.

However, more recently, there has been evidence that alcohol consumption may be on the way up again. Alcohol sales also remain much higher here than they are in England and Wales and Scotland continues to suffer more than most of its European neighbours from alcohol-related harm. Our problem with alcohol is still serious and real and action is needed.

The question is: what action? The Scottish Government has already attempted to introduce minimum pricing but the legislation is stuck in the courts over the question of whether it breaches EU trade rules and may yet be ruled illegal. However, we live in a country where shoppers can walk into a supermarket and buy their weekly maximum recommended alcohol intake in cider for as little as £2.50, which amounts to 18p per unit. Minimum pricing is a sound response to that situation, and it is to be hoped that the courts will rule in favour of it in due course.

But should we also be considering restrictions on how much alcohol supermarkets and pubs can sell? The way people buy and consume alcohol has changed profoundly in recent years to the point where three-quarters of all drink sold in Scotland is through supermarkets and off-licences and yet there are no restrictions on how much these outlets can sell.

Now the campaign group Alcohol Focus Scotland is suggesting there should be. It is proposing that businesses that sell alcohol, from the smallest corner shop to the biggest supermarket, should be required to declare the volumes they sell. This information could then be used to impose restrictions on how much drink certain businesses could sell.

In principle, it sounds like an idea that might work if it gave licensing boards access to information about patterns and volumes of sales that could help them fulfil their responsibilities to protect local communities from the crime and trouble associated with misuse of alcohol. However, it is much harder to see how imposing restrictions on individual shops, or caps in specific areas, would affect how the public consume their product.

Legislation can also only ever be one part of the solution, as it has been with the reduction in smoking. The law should aim to reduce the risk that drinkers will abuse alcohol while protecting the rights of the majority who use it wisely, but there also needs to be much more action to highlight the dangers of drinking and support for drinkers in their attempts to cut down or quit.

And the truth is there are already laws in place that can be used against pubs and other outlets that serve people who have had too much. The law also allows councils to refuse licences in areas where they deem there is overprovision. Alcohol Focus Scotland’s idea is worth considering, but before introducing another law, we should look at how the existing legislation can be used more effectively.