'Radical measures' vow to cut alcohol abuse

Published on Monday 5 May 2008 21:57

THE Scottish Government yesterday promised "radical" measures to tackle the nation's damaging relationship with alcohol.

A long-term strategy on alcohol misuse is due to be published shortly and is expected to contain significant plans to cut alcohol-related harm.

But it is not clear if the measures will go as far as some campaigners would like, such as reducing the availability of alcohol and raising the buying age from 18 to 21.

Shona Robison, the public health minister, said the strategy was being finalised, with several options under consideration. But she promised the measures would be "radical" and "up to the scale of the problem".

She continued: "We have got our long-term strategy which we are going to publish before the summer. This will set out the vision and policy on how to meet the scale of the problem. There will be cross-government action which will take us forward in this important policy area."

Ms Robison said tackling alcohol abuse would be a top public health priority for the SNP's second year in government. Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, has also signalled that the Scottish Government will not shy away from taking tough action on alcohol misuse, despite opposition from some parts of the alcohol industry.

Professor Tom Babor, a leading specialist on alcohol in the United States, recently visited Scotland to speak to doctors and ministers about tackling alcohol abuse.

Prof Babor, head of the Department of Community Medicine and Health Care at the University of Connecticut, said raising the alcohol purchasing age from 18 to 21, following in the steps of the US, would be a "good start".

But speaking to The Scotsman during his visit, Prof Babor said raising the age limit was not a solution in itself. "You have got to consider other measures as well," he said.

"Discount drink promotions are a good place to start, and increasing taxes in proportion to alcohol content.

"Measures should also discourage the targeting of vulnerable populations, such as women of childbearing age because of the foetal alcohol effects."

Prof Babor also blamed the relaxation of licensing laws under Tony Blair's government for increasing alcohol problems.

"The ease at which somebody can purchase alcohol, the 24-hour opening, the density of pubs, clubs and off- licences in the centre of cities are contributing to a rapid acceleration of alcohol problems and we are paying the price for it now," he said.

He rejected claims that by acting to reduce alcohol consumption, politicians were creating a "nanny state".

WHAT TO DO TO ABOUT THE DRUNKENNESS PLAGUE

1 AGE LIMIT

Some experts have suggested that raising the age at which people can buy alcohol from 18 to 21, in line with the United States, would reduce opportunities for children to get hold of drink.

It is thought unlikely that ministers will push for a general raising of the limit as they believe drinking in controlled surroundings, such as a pub or hotel, is not such a big problem.

But raising the limit to 21 years for buying alcohol from off-licences and supermarkets is seen as a way of helping to tackle the problem of binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, greater education of children in school about the dangers of alcohol abuse could stop problems from occurring in the first place, claim campaigners.

There are also plans afoot to "educate" adults with increased advertising on safe alcohol limits and problem drinking.

2 POLLUTER PAYS

Proposals have been outlined to introduce a "polluter pays" scheme, which would see supermarkets and off-licences forced to pay a levy to meet the cost of drink-related problems in local communities.

Ministers and officials have become concerned that retailers are fuelling crime and anti-social behaviour by selling cheap alcohol. A levy would raise millions of pounds to be spent by local licensing boards on projects to deal with the consequences of binge drinking.

3 TAXATION & PRICING

There is strong evidence that the falling price of alcohol in the UK over the past 30 years has led to an increased number of alcohol-related problems. Many campaigners have highlighted how, in some shops, alcohol is sold cheaper than water or fizzy drinks. Taxation, a matter reserved to Westminster, could be used to increase the price of alcohol, though there are fears shops would take on the rises themselves and continue to sell alcohol below cost to attract customers. Tax rises could be targeted at drinks containing the highest levels of alcohol. Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems has called for the Scottish Government to establish minimum prices for alcoholic drinks, which they said was possible under both UK and EU competition law. Holyrood is believed to be keen to set limits based on alcohol content.

4 LABELLING

The BMA has called for legislation on alcohol labelling, rather than relying on voluntary agreements with the drinks industry. This would mean products were obliged to include clear information on their labels about the alcoholic content.

The BMA said the label would set out the number of units in the drink, include information on recommended daily consumption, and warn about the dangers of excessive drinking.

5 TEST PURCHASING

Cracking down on under-age alcohol sales is seen as key to tackling alcohol abuse among teenagers. Test purchasing – sending youngsters into off-licences to see if they are allowed to buy alcohol – has already been rolled out across Scotland. Recent figures revealed that one in seven off-licences had been caught selling drink to under-age buyers. Further crackdowns on under-age sales could help reduce the number of teenagers drinking on the streets, say campaigners.

6 DRINK-DRIVE LIMIT

Campaigners, including the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland, have called for a tougher drink-drive limit, which currently stands at 80mg per 100ml of blood. Many want this reduced to 50mg, in line with countries including Germany, France and Holland. Legislating to reduce the drink-drive limit is reserved to Westminster.

In March, Kenny MacAskill revealed he had written to UK Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly asking her to reduce the limit in an effort to combat alcohol-related road accidents.

The BMA has also called for police to be allowed to do random roadside breath tests. Currently, only drivers suspected of drink driving can be stopped and tested. Mr MacAskill also urged Ms Kelly to consider introducing random breath testing. The UK government is expected to announce plans to cut the limit shortly.

7 PROMOTIONS

New Scottish licensing legislation, due to come into force in 2009, will ban "irresponsible" drinks promotions in pubs and clubs, such as buy-one-get-one-free offers.

There are calls for this to be extended to off-licences and supermarkets, where alcohol is often sold below cost to attract shoppers. Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has indicated he is keen to crack down on such "deep discounting".

8 SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING

Many entertainment and sporting events are sponsored by alcohol products and have become a key advertising mechanism for the alcohol industry. This means alcohol logos are prominently displayed on caps, T-shirts and around venues.

The BMA has called for a ban on alcohol sponsorship of events which have a young target audience. It argues that children and adults become walking billboards when wearing sponsored merchandise. Experts also say linking alcohol to entertainment and sporting activities makes it seem innocent by association.

France has put tight restrictions on alcohol advertising. Carling recently decided to remove its logo from children's kits for Rangers and Celtic, both of which the company sponsors.