tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/minimum-pricing-9733/articlesminimum pricing – The Conversation2021-02-09T19:07:30Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1548292021-02-09T19:07:30Z2021-02-09T19:07:30ZA minimum price for alcohol helped curb problem drinking in the Northern Territory — is it time for a national rollout?<p>The “floor price” for alcohol <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nt-is-putting-a-minimum-floor-price-on-alcohol-because-evidence-shows-this-works-to-reduce-harm-101827">introduced by the Northern Territory in 2018</a> reduced the consumption of cask wine by half, without significantly impacting sales of other types of alcohol, according to our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1753-6405.13055">new analysis</a> of the policy’s effectiveness.</p>
<p>On October 1, 2018, the NT introduced a minimum price of A$1.30 per unit (equivalent to 10 grams of pure alcohol or one “standard drink”) on alcohol, in a bid to tackle problem drinking. </p>
<p>The price was chosen to target cheap wines that have historically been an issue throughout the NT, while <a href="https://alcoholreform.nt.gov.au/milestones/floor-price#:%7E:text=From%201%20October%202018%20the,condition%20of%20a%20liquor%20licence">not influencing other liquor types</a>.</p>
<p>Alcohol has been ranked as the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31081439/">most harmful drug to Australian communities</a>, and the greatest harm of all comes from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307043/">heavy drinking</a>. In Australia an estimated three-quarters of all alcohol is consumed by the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12901">top 20% of its heaviest drinkers</a>, a group that the alcohol industry depends on and actively targets, labelling them as <a href="https://fare.org.au/revealed-alcohol-industry-heavily-dependent-on-risky-drinking/">super consumers</a>.</p>
<p>Nowhere in Australia are the harms of alcohol more stark than in the <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/5/how-much-too-much-alcohol-consumption-and-related-harm-northern-territory">Northern Territory</a>, where alcohol-attributable harm costs the community an estimated <a href="https://www.menzies.edu.au/page/Research/Projects/Alcohol/Social_and_Economic_Costs_and_Harms_of_Alcohol_Consumption_in_the_Northern_Territory/">A$1.4 billion a year</a>. Alcohol-related deaths in the territory are <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/5/how-much-too-much-alcohol-consumption-and-related-harm-northern-territory">two to ten times higher than the national average</a>. </p>
<h2>The Northern Territory</h2>
<p>Our study, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1753-6405.13055">published today</a> in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, examined overall alcohol consumption as well as consumption within specific liquor categories, most importantly cask wine. Cask wine represents less than 5% of the liquor consumed in the NT, but because it offers lots of alcohol for a low price, it contributes inordinately to alcohol problems among <a href="https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/resources/restrictions-on-the-sale-and-supply-of-alcohol-evidence-and-outcomes/">vulnerable drinkers and disadvantaged communities</a>.</p>
<p>We split our analysis into two regions: the entire NT, and the Darwin/Palmerston area. The Darwin and Palmerston analysis is particularly important, as other regions of the NT were subject to a change in levels of police intervention at the point of sale during the period examined. The impact of these changes in policing could not be fully controlled for, whereas changes in Darwin/Palmerston can be reliably attributed to the effect of the minimum alcohol price.</p>
<p>In the year following the introduction of the minimum unit price, there was a 48.84% reduction in cask wine consumption in Darwin and Palmerston, and a 50.57% reduction across the NT. No significant reduction in non-wine liquor consumption was found in Darwin and Palmerston or across the NT. </p>
<p>This suggests implementing a minimum price on alcohol can help heavy drinkers reduce their consumption, while not adversely affecting moderate or occasional drinkers.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nt-is-putting-a-minimum-floor-price-on-alcohol-because-evidence-shows-this-works-to-reduce-harm-101827">The NT is putting a minimum floor price on alcohol, because evidence shows this works to reduce harm</a>
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<p>We found no evidence to indicate heavy drinkers had moved from cask wine to other liquor types in response to the floor price. While there was an increase in spirits sales, this trend began before the introduction of the minimum price.</p>
<p>Members of the community had expressed fears the minimum price would negatively impact <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/21/backlash-northern-territory-alcohol-floor-price-divides-community">beer sales</a>. However, full-strength beer, the most consumed liquor type in the NT, saw no significant change in response to the minimum price. </p>
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<img alt="A cask wine bag sitting on a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382944/original/file-20210208-21-1smkt4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Cask wine consumption decreased by half in the year following the introduction of minimum pricing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Time for a national rollout?</h2>
<p>Considering the effectiveness with which this policy reduced consumption of cask wine in the NT, it is time for other state and federal governments to consider following suit. Internationally, minimum pricing policies have already been implemented in <a href="https://nordicwelfare.org/popnad/en/artiklar/scotland-and-wales-introduced-a-minimum-price-for-alcohol-now-evidence-is-needed-to-show-that-it-works/">Scotland and Wales</a>, and the Republic of Ireland has also passed legislation to implement a floor price <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/no-starting-date-set-for-minimum-unit-pricing-on-alcohol-1.4378064">at a later date</a>.</p>
<p>Other potential benefits of a minimum unit price for alcohol include higher tax revenue, and various social benefits from lower alcohol consumption. Both of these could conceivably help Australia recover from the financial burden of COVID-19. </p>
<p>In the past, the alcohol industry has <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-big-alcohol-is-trying-to-fool-us-into-thinking-drinking-is-safer-than-it-really-is-125309">persistently undermined</a> efforts to reform alcohol regulations, and <a href="https://www.croakey.org/wanted-merchant-of-doubt-to-deliver-intellectual-dominance-in-alcohol-policy/">attempted to dominate</a> the discussion around alcohol policy. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-big-alcohol-is-trying-to-fool-us-into-thinking-drinking-is-safer-than-it-really-is-125309">How big alcohol is trying to fool us into thinking drinking is safer than it really is</a>
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<p>Not surprisingly, the alcohol industry is one of the <a href="https://thenibbler.com.au/article/revealed-hospitality-companies-among-australias-biggest-political-donors/">largest political donor groups in Australia</a>.</p>
<p>Notably, after the release of the first evaluation of the minimum unit price policy in the NT, industry group Retail Drinks Australia claimed <a href="https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/evaluation-report-deems-alcohol-floor-price-scheme-a-success-despite-direct-outcomes-being-impossible-to-distinguish/news-story/a18fe3f6c4f20e76e36977f87dde109b">consumption actually increased</a>. Our latest study directly refutes this.</p>
<p>It will be important for policy-makers throughout Australia to discuss the merits of this policy without being unduly influenced by the alcohol industry, which <a href="https://fare.org.au/revealed-alcohol-industry-heavily-dependent-on-risky-drinking/">depends on the profits earned from problem drinkers</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154829/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The study this article is based on was funded by the Hospital Research Foundation, managed by the Northern Territory Department of Health.
Nicholas Patrick Taylor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Northern Territory government, and a research grant from the Queensland government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Miller receives funding from Australian Research Council and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, grants from NSW Government, National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Cancer Council Victoria, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Northern Territory government, Australian Rechabites Foundation, Northern Territory Primary Health Network, Lives Lived Well, Queensland government and Australian Drug Foundation, travel and related costs from Queensland Police Service, Queensland Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing and the Australasian Drug Strategy Conference. He has acted as a paid expert witness on behalf of a licensed venue and a security firm.</span></em></p>A 2018 ruling that alcohol should be no cheaper than $1.30 per unit resulted in sales of cask wine - the most problematic drink for Darwin and the wider Northern Territory - to fall by half.Nicholas Patrick Taylor, PhD Candidate, Deakin UniversityPeter Miller, Professor of Violence Prevention and Addiction Studies, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/836812017-09-08T11:14:28Z2017-09-08T11:14:28ZScottish devolution at 20: some hits, some misses and that eternal maybe …<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185148/original/file-20170907-9538-1t0ouib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scottish parliament with Calton Hill in the background.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brostad/5841297115/in/photolist-9Ubb8e-nJGsdK-7SoJRT-pApJ5e-TxvwiJ-6rKw8t-kky9Lx-6GQWR-2LgmSH-abcX9K-6rKvZx-74rSQ6-nGTrub-bkKxPM-5A5cFx-nqqKbB-UkEw42-Hh6YcA-tReQ3N-6vY6Xv-a8G1A9-dLZDQn-pFsbCe-6w3iys-9N3FgL-T8ciK8-cFV1fy-PvuC4-7haxbE-S16qEf-rbEUr-57G7VA-6vY742-iLJ6V6-6vY6XT-7bpyan-4pH12F-gFUsE1-83pMh2-63oks4-qBemvh-eeM3QK-PuTsY-S93UyB-a9Wi7j-gBZRqc-qRi6zJ-ah78um-c1YV3C-57Gjt3">Bernt Rostad</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is the anniversary time of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/sep/13/scotland-devolution-referendum-victory">Scottish referendum</a>, in which the electorate voted Yes in overwhelming numbers. I don’t mean the 2014 poll, of course, but its predecessor. It took place on September 11, 1997, a full 20 years ago, and was a vote in favour of a devolved parliament with tax-raising powers. </p>
<p>Within two years, a Scottish parliament was established at Holyrood following the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/46/contents">Scotland Act of 1998</a>. It was a pivotal moment in the history of Scotland and the United Kingdom. After nearly three centuries Scotland had begun to recover what had been lost in the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/act-of-union-1707/">Union of 1707</a> with England. </p>
<p>It was the culmination of <a href="https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/171/29750.html">more than a century</a> of campaigning. National self-confidence grew over that time, as did a belief in the ability – and right – of the Scottish nation to govern itself. Post-war central planning under Labour had gone too far. Scots became increasingly dissatisfied with English insensitivity to Scottish distinctiveness, and Westminster’s inability to respond to Scotland’s particular needs. </p>
<p>Holyrood is now firmly embedded. Further Scotland acts in <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/11/contents/enacted">2012</a> and <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/11/contents/enacted">2016</a> extended the parliament’s powers significantly beyond those originally envisaged. Members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs) are more accessible and less distant, physically and metaphorically, than Westminster MPs. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185147/original/file-20170907-9599-yqyjnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Holyrood in session.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scottish Government</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>The Scottish parliament has achieved much since its inception. Perhaps its greatest success has been the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35901485">smoking ban</a> in 2006. In this regard Scotland can genuinely claim to have led the rest of the UK, which followed suit a year later. <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing">Minimum pricing of alcohol</a> is of the same order of importance, with Scotland again leading the way, but Holyrood cannot be held responsible for vested interests continuing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40718155">to delay</a> implementation.</p>
<p>Devolution has not solved all the nation’s ills, however. The <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/b81c3a14-179b-11e7-9c35-0dd2cb31823a">democratic deficit</a> has only partly been dealt with, as we saw with the recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results">Brexit vote</a> in which Scotland voted to stay in the EU but faces having to leave because it was outnumbered by England and Wales. </p>
<p>The Scottish parliament has also mostly failed to tackle seriously pressing social matters such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/22/when-will-snp-tackle-scotlands-shaming-poverty">poverty</a>, <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/03/2213/0">inequality</a>, and lifestyle issues such as <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/TrendDiet">diet</a> and <a href="http://www.healthscotland.scot/health-topics/diet-and-obesity/obesity">obesity</a>. Education policy – regardless of party – has <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-nicola-sturgeon-put-her-biggest-hitter-in-charge-of-scottish-education-63965">been confused</a>, to the extent that the performance of Scottish schoolchildren is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38207729">falling relative</a> to other countries. </p>
<h2>The rise of the SNP</h2>
<p>Labour – the party that delivered devolution – dominated the Scottish parliament’s early years. But Iraq, dissatisfaction with <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-labour-20-years-on-assessing-the-legacy-of-the-tony-blair-years-76884">New Labour</a> and the party’s complacent, managerial approach at Holyrood left the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/04/scotland.devolution">door open to</a> an SNP that projected itself as a left-leaning, socially conscious counterweight to Westminster.</p>
<p>The first SNP government (2007-11) gave the appearance of being dynamic and effective. Competence mattered and the leadership team impressed – led by Alex Salmond as first minister, John Swinney as finance secretary and Nicola Sturgeon as deputy first minister/health secretary. The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/election2011/overview/html/scotland.stm">SNP won</a> 69 of Holyrood’s 129 seats in 2011 -– an incredible feat given the voting system had been designed to prevent majority government. Independence was suddenly on the table.</p>
<p>In the days immediately prior to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/independence-referendum-one-year-on-nothing-is-settled-in-scotland-47712">Scottish independence referendum</a> in September 2014, it looked as if the Yes campaign might just win. And though a shattered Salmond ultimately had to admit defeat, the SNP had an <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11570769/SNP-rise-in-three-charts.html">army of new members</a>. In the weeks and months after the 45%-55% defeat, the party’s long march towards the dream that would “never die” appeared to have hastened. </p>
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<p>When Scotland voted the opposite way to England and Wales in 2016’s EU referendum, it <a href="https://theconversation.com/scottish-independence-back-in-play-after-brexit-shock-with-a-note-of-caution-61457">initially looked</a> like it would be the trigger for a second independence referendum. The incremental slither to separation, forecast and feared by the opponents of any kind of devolution, seemed well under way.</p>
<p>But then came June 2017’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results/england">UK election</a>, in which the irresistible rise of the SNP <a href="https://theconversation.com/nicola-sturgeon-is-overestimating-the-toxicity-of-tories-in-scotland-and-could-pay-for-it-77334">came to</a> a halt. More than one third of their MPs lost their seats. Not only did Labour win back some seats in Scotland, but against the odds, the Tories did even better. </p>
<p>Short-term factors were clearly at work, including much tactical voting. But looked at in historical context, it is perhaps not so surprising that support for independence may have peaked – for the present anyway. </p>
<h2>Opinion divided as ever</h2>
<p>There was no referendum in 1707. Had there been, Scotland would have resoundingly rejected the parliamentary incorporating union that ensued. </p>
<p>There was <a href="http://www.historytoday.com/shf-johnston/act-union-1707">strong support</a> in Scotland for a federal union, however. Despite longstanding rivalry and resentment of England, many Scottish parliamentarians recognised the potential benefits of a trade treaty with their larger, richer and more powerful neighbour. Out and out opponents of any kind of treaty with England were fewer in number.</p>
<p>In short, opinion about the most suitable relationship with England was divided. It has been the same ever since. Politicians who talk about the “Scottish people” or boldly declare that “the nation” has spoken, forget this or perhaps just ignore it. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185149/original/file-20170907-9576-1df936b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mebbes aye, mebbes naw.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thepatman/11252977563/in/photolist-i9osbx-i9o9Gg-i9ozqn-i9oeuc-i9opEm-i9o7B4-i9o5NK-i9ocNh-i9owov-i9oaQ8-i9obCR-i9oA9r-i9o5cp-i9oiXE-i9okiY-i9oBtF-i9omDw-i9ojq3-i9oyNa-i9ok7f-i9oe3G-i9obcE-i9oaVt-i9o6GZ-i9oap8-i9o2we-i9owrB-i9oe8m-i9o7tP-i9okmm-i9oohG-i9ohuE-i9oatX-i9oDwZ-i9oeCQ-i9oB7i-i9orFe-i9ogto-i9oEQv-i9orSg-i9ou5c-i9ogAs-i9ofir-i9ohKE-i9oo3d-i9omYm-i9oCzi-i9oghQ-i9oeh8-i9oD2v">Rob Eaglesfield</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>It’s obvious that commitment in Scotland to the union is much weaker now than in the 19th century. Yet Scottish national feeling was as intense then as that which fuelled independence movements elsewhere in Europe. Much of it in Scotland coalesced around celebrations to commemorate <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-nervy-elites-seized-robert-burns-before-radicals-got-there-71839">Robert Burns</a>. Yet few challenged the union. And despite its flaws, that remains an ingrained habit which large numbers of Scots have yet to break. </p>
<p>Many hoped devolution would kill nationalism stone dead, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31129382">to paraphrase</a> George Robertson, Scottish secretary during the 1997 referendum. His Labour colleagues in particular failed to grasp Scots’ powerful sense of nationhood.</p>
<p>It was another Labour man, the late <a href="https://theconversation.com/tam-dalyell-never-held-office-but-he-was-margaret-thatchers-sternest-critic-72021">Tam Dalyell</a>, who argued that devolution could lead to independence. As you might expect, Salmond shares this view. He <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/general-election/alex-salmond-scots-will-vote-for-independence-within-4-years-1-4529994">recently asserted that</a> independence was “rendered inevitable when the Scottish parliament was established”. In his view, the Scots will vote for independence within four years. </p>
<p>Will they? Both sides may claim to know where Scotland is heading, but history tells us not to be so sure. When it comes to what relationship it wants with the rest of people in the British Isles, the reality is that Scotland has never quite made up its mind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher A Whatley is affiliated with the Labour Party. </span></em></p>Scotland voted for its own parliament in September 1997, but has yet to make its mind up about the biggest issue of all.Christopher A Whatley, Professor of Scottish History, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/395202015-03-30T22:04:40Z2015-03-30T22:04:40ZThe cost of binge drinking? £77 per person each year<p>Harmful alcohol use has been identified as one of the leading preventable causes of death and a key risk factor for chronic diseases (such as cancer) and injuries worldwide. Specifically, alcohol use <a href="http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/alcohol/en/">is responsible for 5.9%</a> – about 3.3m – of deaths across the globe every year. While there is an existing body of research on the economic impacts of sustained heavy drinking, however, less is known about the economic cost of binge drinking and the size of its impact on road traffic accidents and arrests. </p>
<p>Binge drinking is characterised by periods of heavy drinking followed by abstinence. It generally results in short-term acute impairment and is believed to contribute to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210057">a substantial proportion</a> of alcohol-related deaths and injuries. Overall, ONS <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_395191.pdf">statistics would suggest</a> a falling trend in the number of people who binge drink but it is still a sizeable problem – with four in ten young adults consuming up to eight units on at least one
day in the week before being interviewed by the ONS.</p>
<h2>Counting the cost</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/economics/research/working-papers/2015-papers/cost-binge-drinking.pdf">In a paper</a> we set out to count the costs of binge drinking. We used two data sets, the first on binge drinking status and the second on outcomes (A&E attendances, road accidents, arrests and number of police officers on duty) to calculate how these outcomes are affected during the times when binge drinking is most likely to take place. Rates of binge drinking were compared during the week and weekend between two different age groups: 18-30 and those aged over 50. </p>
<p>Those aged 18-30 are more likely to binge drink, particularly during the weekend. Outcomes for these two age groups were then compared during weekend nights. These results were combined to estimate the effect of binge drinking on the outcomes of interest.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=701&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=701&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=701&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76450/original/image-20150330-1231-18nd8l9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Extra police power needed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">West Midlands Police</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found that binge drinking increased the average number of daily injury-related A&E attendances by 8% and the daily average of road accidents by 17%. In addition, we found that the average daily number of arrests for all alcohol-related incidences increased by 45% and the number of police officers on duty increased by around 30%. </p>
<p>The cost of these effects is calculated using data available from a number of UK government departments. The Department of Health estimates the cost of attending A&E <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment-data/file/261154/nhs-reference-costs-2012-13-acc.pdf">at £114 per person per visit</a>. The average unit <a href="http://tinyurl.com/crime_costs2010">cost of an arrest is £14,836</a>, according to figures from the Home Office. The cost arising from having additional police officers on duty is based on a £15 hourly wage per police constable. The Department for Transport estimates the cost of road accidents by taking account of ambulance and hospital (excluding A&E) treatment costs, damage to vehicles and property, administrative costs associated with accident insurance and the human cost of fatalities. Using 2014 prices, a fatal accident <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment-data/file/9275/rrcgb2011-02.pdf">was estimated to cost</a> just over £2m.</p>
<p>Our research indicates that a conservative total estimate of the economic cost of binge drinking at 2013-14 prices is £4.86 billion per year; equivalent to £77 per person living in the UK. To put this into context, this is <a href="http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/142/economics/what-does-the-government-spend-its-money-on/">around the amount the government spends</a> on Jobseeker’s Allowance, a social security benefit.</p>
<h2>Implications of a £4.8 billion bill</h2>
<p>Understanding the economic cost of binge drinking can inform the public policy debate on alcohol use and contribute to more effective policy design. </p>
<p>Excessive alcohol consumption has been the direct target of <a href="http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/en/">health policy interventions worldwide</a>. Common policies such as raising alcohol taxes, setting a <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/minimum-unit-pricing">minimum unit price</a> for alcohol and restricting availability with minimum legal drinking ages, aim to discourage alcohol misuse and raise income to pay for its burden on society. </p>
<p>According to industry estimates, 52.8 billion units of alcohol were consumed in the UK in 2013. Given the total estimated cost of binge drinking is £4.86 billion, this equates to 9.8p per alcoholic unit consumed. To fully recover this cost would imply a 23% increase in the average retail price of alcohol (which was 42p in 2013-14) – equivalent to an additional 99p per bottle of wine and 23p per pint of beer.</p>
<p>There are several policies that could be implemented to recover this cost including, among others, minimum unit pricing, reform of the alcohol excise tax system and restricting the availability of alcohol through increasing the legal drinking age.</p>
<h2>Minimum pricing</h2>
<p>Minimum pricing policies establish a minimum price below which a unit of alcohol cannot legally be sold to consumers. In the UK, minimum unit prices under consideration range from 45p to 50p. We suggest that even the higher minimum price of 50p per unit falls short of the adjustment needed to offset the cost of binge drinking. Instead we need a minimum price of 52p per unit to offset the cost.</p>
<p>Of course, the debate over minimum pricing suggests that policy makers may struggle to implement such a policy. In Scotland, a legal challenge was launched over <a href="http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/News%20stories/iasreport-thomas-stockwell-april2013.pdf">proposed minimum pricing</a>. Another argument against minimum pricing policies include concerns that responsible drinkers and individuals on low incomes <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22136104">might be disproportionately affected</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76451/original/image-20150330-1259-1hivmra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More strength, more tax?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Frankieleon</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>An alternative policy is to reform the system of alcohol excise taxes so that rates increase <a href="http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/6647">directly in line with alcohol strength</a>. Proposed excise taxes of 8.9p on 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) beer, 27.2p on 13% ABV wine are well below the 23% increase required to offset the cost of binge drinking. This research finds that excise taxes would have to be set at 23p per pint of beer and 99p per bottle of wine.</p>
<p>A third policy option is to restrict alcohol availability. Imposing a higher legal drinking age may reduce the impact of binge drinking by preventing a proportion of the 18-30 age group that commonly binge drink from obtaining alcohol. Based on <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846371/">evidence from the US</a>, we estimate that increasing the legal drinking age in the UK from 18 to 21 would reduce the number of road accidents by 15%. This would amount to a reduction of 4.9% in the estimated cost of binge drinking-related road accidents, leading to a £100m saving. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, this saving represents only 2.1% of the total £4.89 billion estimated cost of binge drinking. Overall, following this policy is likely to offset only a small percentage of the cost.</p>
<p>By taking into account the estimated cost of binge drinking, policy makers can better tailor alcohol regulation policies to recover a greater proportion of this cost. It is also clear that more needs to be done to address the social factors that lead to binge drinking – unless approaches to understanding and tackling alcohol misuse are comprehensive, economic policies designed to mitigate the cost of binge drinking can have only limited success, and may well have a disproportionate punitive effect on responsible drinkers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/39520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We know much about the economic costs of sustained drinking but little about binge drinking. A new piece of research counts the cost.Jonathan James, Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Department of Economics, University of BathMarco Francesconi, Head of Economics , University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/251852014-04-04T05:00:48Z2014-04-04T05:00:48ZMinimum alcohol pricing: Canada’s accidental public health strategy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45563/original/znk67kbw-1396545045.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Your friendly neighbourhood liquor store down Toronto way</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/josephmorris/11088768335/in/photolist-hTSQuX-2dWgWj-Lver7-LuKt1-33oLaJ-31cCgo-azvGjv-azym4Y-azymnN-azvGmp-azym2A-ev4Lov-92tTfp-d7hWSN-7fdqyM-9swD3a-6B34n6-4FmLUR-4RRUQV-88bYZM-i9ezjG-aXzQrn-ag6rPE-ag6rTN-e8gFTc-ev537H-dmZMuY-dcMaLK-8zQRdR-ev7VK9-f3aWH-5pBDJi-Bujih-65PooC-5sSAUG-nsjPH-hjYm1j-5pBDPH-71oEn-7Gv6Xs-9aZKgj-Q6G9K-9aruJJ-4rWtZV-2mWz2x-3fZoDU-8gvUPq-9aomVt-77Kq5y-69EJnR">Joseph Morris</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I have watched with fascination as successive UK and European governments have pledged to make cheap alcohol a thing of the past by introducing minimum unit pricing or MUP. </p>
<p>David Cameron announced his support for a 40p per unit floor price in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17482035">early 2012</a> only to backtrack <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10185563/David-Camerons-plan-for-minimum-alcohol-price-is-scrapped.html">almost a year later</a> in the face of opposition from within his cabinet and intense lobbying from multinational drinks groups. </p>
<p>But his government is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19779696">quietly supporting</a> Scotland’s legislation against complaints brought to the EU commission by the Scotch Whisky Association (on behalf of multinational drinks corporations).</p>
<h2>Cameron aims low</h2>
<p>The Cameron Government is also from Sunday taking a tiny tottering step to limit cheap alcohol by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26040550">banning below-cost sales</a>, a soft measure likely to make very little impact. Meanwhile both the <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/minimum-price-for-alcohol-to-be-introduced-1.1569382">Republic of Ireland</a> and <a href="http://www.eurocare.org/library/updates/mup_estonia_alcohol">Estonia</a> have announced their interest in MUP as a means of reducing their serious alcohol-related problems. </p>
<p>Minimum pricing was an idea forged in Canada and used for decades principally to stabilise provincial alcohol markets. Like most Scandinavian countries and many US states, Canadian provinces have operated government alcohol monopolies which they soon discovered to be a reliable and rich source of revenue. </p>
<p>Minimum pricing – sometimes known as social reference pricing – was introduced to protect an increasingly important revenue stream. Price wars by retailers could create havoc with provincial government budgets and minimum pricing was the perfect antidote. </p>
<p>A limited variation of this policy is also being employed in some US states where governments set minimum mark-ups or profit margins on the wine and/or spirits they distribute and sell in local markets.</p>
<p>A team from the University of Sheffield was commissioned by the UK Department of Health in 2006 to estimate the impacts of policies like minimum pricing. Drawing upon <a href="http://www.carbc.ca/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/558/Files/8/AlcPricing.pdf">Canadian policy analyses</a>, I advised them that minimum pricing should be calculated according to the amount of alcohol in beverages - the stuff that does the harm. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf">The group modelled</a> the social, health and economic impacts of a minimum price for a unit of alcohol (8g of ethanol or roughly half a pint of beer, a shot of spirits or a small glass of wine) and the concept of MUP was born.</p>
<h2>Canadian findings</h2>
<p>But does minimum pricing have any benefits for public health and safety in Canada despite the entirely financial motivation for its implementation? A Canada/US/UK research team has published <a href="http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/News%20stories/iasreport-thomas-stockwell-april2013.pdf">a series of studies</a> using Canadian alcohol sales, health and crime data sets. They show significant but quite small effects on <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22168350">alcohol consumption in British Columbia</a> which has had a piecemeal, erratic approach to updating minimum prices across the years. </p>
<p>By contrast <a href="http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=Stockwell_T_14.txt">in Saskatchewan</a>, minimum prices were increased across the board in early 2010 with the rates of these adjusted according to alcoholic strength. An 8.4% reduction in consumption was observed for each 10% increase in the minimum price, with a shift towards lower alcohol content beers and wines and greater profits for government and wholesalers. Senior police reported alcohol-related crime to be halved.</p>
<p><a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301289">Other studies in British Columbia</a> have shown a 10% increase in minimum prices to be associated with a 9% reduction in acute alcohol-related hospital admissions (for injuries and poisonings, for example); and a similar but delayed reduction in admissions for alcohol-related diseases. </p>
<p>Significant impacts on <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23398533">alcohol-related deaths</a> have also been reported and evidence of crime impacts is awaiting publication. In every case the observed impacts have been larger than those estimated by the excellent but conservative University of <a href="http://www.carbc.ca/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/558/Files/240/AlcMinPricingOntBC.pdf">Sheffield models</a>.</p>
<h2>Policy differences</h2>
<p>There is a huge variation across Canada in the way minimum prices are set. Saskatchewan gets top marks for a comprehensive system linked to alcoholic strength; the Atlantic provinces (including Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) have the highest rates; Ontario indexes minimum prices annually to the cost of living; Québec indexes minimum prices but only for beer; Alberta has minimum bar prices; British Columbia will soon introduce higher minimum prices linked to alcohol strength in order to offset more convenient access to alcohol.</p>
<p>And while the public health and safety motivation for regulating the affordability of alcohol has been largely forgotten in North America, there are signs this is being rediscovered. A modern approach to alcohol policy in this century may look a little like the proposed <a href="http://www2.gov.bc.ca/local/haveyoursay/Docs/liquor_policy_review_report.pdf">British Columbia approach</a>: more convenient access but tight restrictions on cheap alcohol. </p>
<p>Maybe this is a small price to pay for saving lives and preventing serious injuries and illnesses. But will the EU accept that sometimes public health trumps free trade? The multinationals must see MUP as a dangerous precedent - otherwise they should support it because it will certainly increase the profitability of their alcohol businesses. </p>
<p>Indeed some oppose MUP on principle because it would increase profits to the alcohol industry. The way I see it, it’s just a win-win - and if MUP comes to pass I guarantee governments will find a way of taking a little of those extra profits back.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25185/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Stockwell receives funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and US National Institutes for Health. He is senior editor of Addiction, regional editor of the Drug and Alcohol Review, an affiliate scientist for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario, Canada, and adjunct professor to the National Drug Research Institute in Perth, Australia </span></em></p>I have watched with fascination as successive UK and European governments have pledged to make cheap alcohol a thing of the past by introducing minimum unit pricing or MUP. David Cameron announced his…Tim Stockwell, Director, Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia (CARBC) and Professor of Psychology, University of VictoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/251262014-04-03T05:43:56Z2014-04-03T05:43:56ZWhy I’m fighting alcohol industry obstruction of minimum pricing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45430/original/y649s2dy-1396458915.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tensions are mounting over minimum pricing obstruction</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/89872563@N00/8352302579/in/photolist-dJ4JyT-9PXr2r-3NEmX-8zQVYt-5CJT2-9C2VWh-tLuTK-dgdNy4-8Agz66-96CeLH-9C2RwN-6nnG4f-4HKLbm-aF7Yp6-81GF9Z-bAaTzD-4WVEGP-aJPP5-wcYE7-5Pgu4t-92E4Wd-cGtdwN-2fHvpj-4QwFYp-yjo9m-yjnZy-yjo7V-yjnVQ-yjo3Z-yjo5c-yjo1D-yjnX1-9Z3U9r-ayfXRv-ckockW-j5R2zS-mxpNnx-6kWGtK-yjnUd-yjnY2-yjo6Q-35Bryt-asE8Ds-DBQUe-DBRi7-8Deyd-7EpRYt-4P4QRL-DBRbB-a1Pa3t-bGwQ3">Stupid Pony</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Exactly a year after minimum alcohol pricing was supposed to have been introduced in Scotland, this week a group of public health professionals including myself registered a protest against the fact that it is still not in place. </p>
<p>The legislation that was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2012 to introduce minimum pricing remains stalled. An initial case by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) challenging the law was rejected in a Court of Session <a href="http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/9/1040/PETITION-FOR-JUDICIAL-REVIEW-BY-SCOTCH-WHISKY-ASSOCIATION-And-OTHERS">judgement</a> in May 2013. But the SWA’s decision to appeal is still delaying implementation. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I have signed an open letter to the SWA, drafted by <a href="http://www.alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk/view/article/242-stop-fighting-minimum-pricing">Alcohol Focus Scotland</a>. It called on the SWA to drop its legal action and let the measure proceed as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the harm that alcohol causes to heavy drinkers, their families and communities. </p>
<h2>The point of minimum pricing</h2>
<p>What would minimum unit pricing (MUP) achieve? The planned Scottish MUP of 50p would not affect alcohol sold in pubs and restaurants, nor would it affect most products sold in shops and supermarkets. It would increase the price of the cheapest alcohol, which can cost as little as 18p a unit – drinks such as strong white ciders and supermarket own brand spirits. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf">Modelling</a> conducted by colleagues at the University of Sheffield estimated that in the first year following introduction, MUP would result in 60 fewer deaths, 1600 fewer hospital admissions and 3500 fewer crimes in Scotland. </p>
<p>These estimates are supported by the experience in Canada. For more than a decade I’ve regularly visited relatives in British Columbia, one of a number of Canadian provinces that has had a MUP schedule in place for a number of years. Alcohol does not appear noticeably more expensive overall, while they don’t have the very cheapest drinks that we do. </p>
<p>Professor Tim Stockwell and his team at the University of Victoria have assessed <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03763.x/abstract;jsessionid=526AA62E28B557074A3A65F47B03D43F.f01t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false">the impact of this policy</a>. </p>
<p>Between 1989 and 2010, there was a 10% increase in the minimum price of an alcoholic drink, which reduced its consumption by 16%. Wine consumption fell by 8.9%, ciders by 19.9% and beer by 1.5%. More importantly, there was a 32% drop in <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12139/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false">wholly alcohol attributable deaths</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this evidence, fears remain in Scotland that MUP will increase the price of all drinks and punish moderate drinkers. This misunderstands the policy. MUP focuses on those who suffer the greatest harm from alcohol. We explained this in a report last year that set out an <a href="http://www.stir.ac.uk/media/schools/management/documents/Alcoholstrategy-updated.pdf">independent strategy on alcohol for the UK</a>. </p>
<p>The report argued that very cheap alcohol undermines other policies designed to address alcohol problems. An MUP of 50p would increase moderate drinkers’ costs (assuming their consumption remained the same) but only by a very small amount – an average of 29p per week. </p>
<h2>The English compromise</h2>
<p>In England there is currently little prospect of MUP being introduced after the government <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10185563/David-Camerons-plan-for-minimum-alcohol-price-is-scrapped.html">abandoned the policy last year</a>. A different price policy, involving a <a href="http://ranzetta.typepad.com/files/belowcostsalesalcohol-ho.pdf">“below cost ban”</a>, will come into effect next week instead. It will prevent the sale of alcohol below the rate of duty including VAT. </p>
<p>The Westminster government has argued this will address the sale of cheap alcohol but <a href="http://www.shef.ac.uk/news/nr/below-cost-selling-ban-1.294086">research</a> suggests that its impact on reducing alcohol harms will be negligible. It is estimated that the 45p level of MUP initially discussed in England would have a 40 to 50 times larger effect on consumption than the below-cost ban that is being introduced.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/ban-on-below-cost-alcohol-sales-would-be-40-times-less-effective-than-minimum-pricing-21865">John Holmes</a> from the University of Sheffield outlined the differences between the two policies for The Conversation earlier this year. </p>
<p>So in Scotland we wait for a policy that should go some way to addressing the fact that alcohol is 48% more affordable than it was in 1980, with all the harm to drinkers and those around them that this entails. Let’s hope we won’t have much longer to wait. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25126/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Bauld is Director of the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling which receives research funding from Cancer Research UK and a range of other public sector organisations and charities. She is also a Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, funded by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration.</span></em></p>Exactly a year after minimum alcohol pricing was supposed to have been introduced in Scotland, this week a group of public health professionals including myself registered a protest against the fact that…Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.