The Scottish Parliament�s own think-tank has called for tax from alcohol sales to be ringfenced for treating the country�s 150,000 �hazardous drinkers�.

The Scottish Parliament's own think-tank has called for tax from alcohol sales to be ringfenced for treating the country's 150,000 "hazardous drinkers".

In a report to be published today, Scotland's Futures Forum suggests at least some of the billions raised in excise duties on drink every year should be set aside for victims of what it describes as the nation's most harmful drug.

The Forum, which is independent of political control, has spent a year and a half scouring over evidence from across the world on how Scotland can meet its ambition of halving the harm from the abuse of substances, including alcohol, by 2025.

The proposal to redirect tax funds from alcohol sales to problem drinkers - a policy championed by doctors in Australia and New Zealand - is just one of several foreign ideas highlighted in the report.

Approaches to Alcohol and Drugs in Scotland also flags up the possibility of Canadian-style "consumption rooms", where addicts can take their drugs in safety, and the Dutch policy of allowing some heroin addicts to get their fix on prescription.

Frank Pignatelli, the former director of education for Strathclyde Region who chaired the drugs and alcohol project for the Forum, said: "Some of the things we've found from our research would, at first sight, appear unpalatable.

"But it may be that if these policies are helping people we should consider them, even on the basis of pilot projects."

The UK Government retains firm control over excise duties on alcohol. The Scottish Government - and parliament - has no powers to increase tax on drink to fund treatment projects for which they are responsible.

The forum in its report makes it quite clear that the abuse of alcohol is costing Scotland far more dearly than the illegal drugs industry.

"The quality and range of treatment and social support in Scotland needs to be significantly improved, particularly for alcohol," the report said before citing evidence from Australasian experts who backed "dedicating a proportion of alcohol taxes to fund targetted and well-evaluated alcohol programmes and increase the scientific research capacity that is independent of the alcohol industry".

The chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, Gavin Hewitt, was a member of the project board behind the final report but declined to support all of its findings.

The report comes amid heightened public concern over drinking, especially by young people.

Mr Pignatelli yesterday said Scottish Government ministers were right to dispel the myth that Scotland's booze culture is largely harmless.

He said there was now "breathtaking evidence" of the harm done by drink - and also drugs.