THE fact that Scots have a problematic relationship with alcohol is not remotely new or surprising. Indeed, many of us routinely joke about and even mythologise the heavy drinking culture that surrounds us.

The figures beneath the myths, however, remain utterly shocking. Some 22 Scots a week die from alcohol-related causes, a figure that is 54 per cent higher than in England and Wales. The equivalent of 20 units of alcohol a week are sold for every adult in Scotland, despite official guidelines advising against drinking more than 14.

And, as doctors have been warning for many years, all this takes a terrible a terrible toll on the NHS, in terms of both acute emergency admissions and expensive longer-term problems such as liver disease and obesity. As for the cost to individuals, families and communities, that’s even higher.

Something must be done, was the constant refrain. Today that something – minimum pricing – becomes law.

The Scottish Government fought long and hard through the courts to introduce the policy, which sets a 50p per unit minimum and is designed to deter the sale of cheap alcohol. From now on a 70cl bottle of vodka will cost at least £13, whisky £14 and 20 cans of lager £17.60. Clearly, supermarkets will see the biggest price hikes, with little changing in pubs and restaurants.

The Scotch Whisky Association has been the fiercest critic of the policy - its legal challenge delayed its introduction for years. The industry faces significant challenges from globalisation, and you can perhaps understand an objection to any move that makes its product more expensive. Those who oppose “nanny state” interference in our lives were also against the principle of minimum pricing.

The sad reality, however, is that Scotland’s drink problem is so deep-rooted and damaging, so widespread, that government action of this sort was a last resort – a range of other public health approaches had failed.

There is, of course, a balance to be struck between an individual’s freedom to drink as much as they wish and the cost to society as a whole. But, as health professionals have highlighted so compellingly, that cost is now far too high. Surveys often find that the NHS comes top when we are asked what public services matter most to us. If we really do value the NHS, then as a society we must back initiatives that help it. Minimum pricing is one such policy.

As the success of the smoking ban has shown, Scotland can change. Hopefully minimum pricing will have the same transformative effect.

The Scottish Government should be commended for its guts and tenacity in sticking with this contentious but brave policy. History will judge it accordingly.