War on booze - 'Minimum pricing is a blunt weapon'

Everybody knows that booze is Scotland's biggest problem. The only question is how radical we should be about tackling it.

In these last days of March we are still in the phoney war before the Scottish election, but the issue will become a key debate before May 5 - if nothing else, because minimum pricing for alcohol is one of the few areas of genuine disagreement between the SNP and Labour.

Today the News publishes the second instalment in a special report about the impact of drink here in the Lothians. We reveal a shocking rise in alcohol-related dementia and the news that women in Lothian are now more likely to get liver disease than men in England.

We also talk to Pamela Wilkinson, an alcoholic who is drinking herself to death despite the efforts of doctors and her family.

This should be - literally - sobering stuff, especially given our revelations yesterday about drinkers at the other end of the age spectrum. As we reported, 14 Lothian kids aged under 13 were hospitalised because of booze in the last two years.

But however worrying, our reports don't strengthen the case for minimum pricing. Those kids who were taken to hospital presumably didn't buy their booze legally, so the chances are it would make little difference to them whether a drink was sold at 40p, 50p or even 1 a unit. Also, Pamela Wilkinson is so dependent she would drink no matter the cost, even if it meant not eating.

The SNP's flagship policy is therefore misguided, but Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon do at least deserve credit for trying to tackle a problem which is said to kill 3000 Scots a year and cost the nation more than 4 billion annually.

They have been right to highlight the scale of the battle we face to beat the booze; it is just that their weapon of choice is a blunt one.

As has been said about other wars we have waged in recent years, victory will only come if we win hearts and minds. You don't do that by punishing all drinkers, including the sensible ones, by imposing what is effectively just another tax - one which, incidentally, just increases the profits of drink producers and retailers.

It will be much more effective to redouble efforts through health campaigns, especially in schools as we try to help the next generation avoid the mistakes of their parents.

We can all help reinforce this message, through our own behaviour and decisions. As we also report today, Hibs are doing their bit with new sponsors Crabbie's by producing junior replica strips which will promote their non-alcoholic brand.

It's just a little step, but one in the direction Scotland must travel.