Issued on behalf of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP)
The Scottish medical professions are celebrating the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for all alcohol sold in Scotland from today, six years after the legislation was passed in the Scottish Parliament. Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), which represents the Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland, has campaigned for eleven years for minimum pricing, when we first called for action to introduce MUP.
Alcohol misuse results in around 24 deaths and 700 hospital admissions every week in Scotland.
Dr Peter Rice, Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) said:
“At last MUP can be implemented in Scotland. We are proud and delighted. It’s been a long time coming. Harmful and hazardous drinkers are mainly reliant on cheap vodka and white cider, and these are the products that will now cost significantly more with MUP.
“Doctors, nurses and other health professionals experience first-hand the consequences of having cheap alcohol widely available, with the harms affecting the poorest and most vulnerable communities in Scotland. We are all hoping that we will soon start seeing fewer patients in our surgeries and hospital wards suffering from alcohol-related harms, and we look forward to that.”
Dr Eric Carlin, Director of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), said:
“Today, we salute the determination of the Scottish Government for having persevered to introduce MUP as a life-saving measure, in the face of legal challenges by global alcohol interests, fronted by the Scotch Whisky Association.
“All the evidence suggests that the implementation of MUP will reduce harmful consumption of alcohol, which devastates the lives of many, especially in our poorest communities, and kills at least 24 people every week. In addition, SHAAP and our partners will continue to press the Scottish and UK Governments to take other actions to reduce alcohol-related harms, including restricting marketing of alcohol, especially to young people, as well as to improve services and support for people with alcohol problems, their families and friends.”
Welcoming the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland, Professor Derek Bell OBE, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:
“The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is delighted that Scotland will be the first country in Europe to introduce Minimum Unit Pricing today. This is a significant milestone in our approach to tackling alcohol-related harm and deaths. As part of a package of measures MUP has the potential to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths and to lessen alcohol-related harm in Scotland, which impacts on not only individuals but also their families and communities.
“This College, along with others, established Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) in 2006 due to concerns from across the medical profession about the growing number of hospitalisations and deaths due to alcohol consumption in Scotland. SHAAP has been a long-standing advocate for MUP and their work has ensured that MUP has become a reality.
“We now hope that MUP will be implemented across other parts of the United Kingdom.”
