Alcohol advertising ban: Scottish Government told it must 'put public heath before industry profits' after U-turn

The Scottish Government has been told it must “put public health before industry profits”, after appearing to U-turn on plans to ban alcohol advertising.

In November, the Government launched a consultation on a range of measures to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion. The proposals could have led to a ban on alcohol advertising outdoors.

However, following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon and the elevation of Humza Yousaf to the position of First Minister, the plans have been put on hold. Mr Yousaf said earlier this week the Government would now go "back to the drawing board" on alcohol advertising proposals.

Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, has now called on the Government to “put public health before industry profits”.

The Scottish Government has been told it must “put public health before [alcohol] industry profits”, after appearing to U-turn on plans to ban alcohol advertising.

“The World Health Organization advises that industry should have no role in formulating public health policy because of their vested interests,” she said.

“While it is right for the Scottish Government to consider the potential impact of marketing restrictions on business, previous experience suggests that industry views on the likely impacts of public health policies should be subject to careful scrutiny.

“In the case of minimum unit pricing, a policy that has been shown to save lives, exaggerated claims were made about the potential negative impacts on the industry yet the [Public Health Scotland] evaluation has found ‘minimal impact’ on it.

“It has been proven that seeing alcohol advertising makes it more likely that our children and young people will start to drink alcohol and that they will go on to develop an alcohol problem. We cannot afford to delay action.”

The World Health Organization recommends restrictions on alcohol availability and alcohol marketing as two of the three most cost-effective measures for reducing alcohol-related harm.

A 2018 study in New Zealand found neighbourhood off-licence alcohol retailers were associated with increased childhood exposure to alcohol marketing, and ultimately the consumption of alcohol by children.

However, industry bodies such as the Scotch Whisky Association said they had “deep concerns” regarding the proposed ban on alcohol marketing. The body warned of potential “unintended consequences”, such as the possible impacts on “sports, the arts, culture and tourism in Scotland”.

Meanwhile, Elinor Jayne, the director of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), a partnership of the Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland and the Faculty of Public Health, said “it’s not exactly clear” what the announcement by Mr Yousaf meant for future alcohol marketing restrictions.

“One thing that hasn’t changed is the evidence – we know that restricting marketing will improve our health,” she said.

“Many European countries have various restrictions on alcohol marketing, and if we are going to protect future generations from alcohol harms, the Scottish Government should act on the evidence.”

Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie said the U-turn showed the proposed ban was “poorly planned”.

"This is just one of many long-awaited U-turns the new First Minister announced in his speech,” she said.

“It signals an admission by the SNP that the ban was poorly planned and would have had a hugely negative impact on some of Scotland's biggest industries. We can all agree that action is needed to address Scotland's alcohol crisis, but the focus needs to be on real change that benefits communities and can be evidenced to work.”