Responding to the announcement (below) that the Welsh government
is set to legislate for a minimum price for alcohol, Professor
Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA),
said:
“We welcome the Welsh government’s announcement today that it
will introduce legislation to set a minimum price for
alcohol.
“The cheaper alcohol is, the more alcohol-related harm is
done, and at present there is a proliferation of cheap alcohol
across the UK. Raising the price of the cheapest alcohol by
setting a price below which it cannot be sold will save lives,
reduce hospital admissions and cut crime.
“With Scotland also set to introduce minimum unit pricing, it
is vital that the UK government now legislates for minimum unit
pricing for England too, something it committed to doing five
years ago but failed to follow through. With lives being lost as
a direct result of freely available cheap alcohol, a decision to
delay further will be in effect a death sentence for some of the
most vulnerable in society.”
About the Alcohol Health Alliance UK
The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is a group of 50
organisations including the Royal College of Physicians, Royal
College of GPs, British Medical Association, Alcohol Concern and
the Institute of Alcohol Studies. The AHA works together to:
-
· Highlight
the rising levels of alcohol-related health harm
-
· Propose
evidence-based solutions to reduce this harm
-
· Influence
decision makers to take positive action to address the damage
caused by alcohol misuse
