Minimum alcohol pricing can protect heavy drinkers, reduce harm – WHO

A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report said introducing minimum pricing for alcohol could protect heavy drinkers and reduce harm to the people‘s health.

Experts behind the study said evidence showed that taxing alcohol and controlling prices could prevent deaths and prevent long-term sicknesses linked to drink.

A minimum unit price (MUP) of 50p (0.61 dollars) per unit was introduced in May 2018 in Scotland, while Wales brought in the same measure in March 2020.

In England, the government said there were no plans to introduce a minimum price, though it was keeping the issue under review.

Research from Newcastle University and published in the Lancet medical journal in 2021 found that alcohol sales fell by almost 8 per cent after the policy was introduced in Scotland.

In its new study, the WHO office for Europe said alcohol was responsible for almost one million deaths in the region each year.

Globally, the European region has the highest share of deaths caused by alcohol consumption, about 12 per cent of male and 8 per cent of female deaths, it said.

While European countries do have some form of alcohol tax in place, “these taxes are often implemented in a way that is unlikely to be beneficial to public health,” the study said.

For example, the vast majority of countries do not adjust their alcohol taxes for inflation, meaning that alcohol gets cheaper over time.

The new report said minimum unit prices affect the cost of cheap, high-strength alcohol because they are linked to the alcohol content of a drink.

The report argues that by reducing the price of cheap drinks, MUP encourages consumers and producers to favour lower-strength products.

This is especially important for heavier drinkers, with WHO arguing that there is a strong evidence that they will reduce their drinking when alcohol becomes more expensive.

The report said: “Alcohol harm is concentrated in heavier drinkers, particularly those from lower socioeconomic groups.

“Minimum pricing policies can effectively target these drinkers and consequently can reduce health inequalities.

“There are various sources of evidence on the impact of minimum pricing, including from systematic reviews, modelling studies and evaluations of real-life implementation scenarios.

“These demonstrate reductions in alcohol consumption and harms following the introduction of minimum pricing measures.”

The report acknowledges that minimum prices are likely to increase revenue for alcohol producers and retailers and, to a lesser extent, reduce government tax revenue.

“These losses, however, are likely to be offset by other economic gains, such as reduced health-care costs and greater economic productivity,” it said.

It argued that there is potential for minimum prices to be used in combination with taxation to reduce harm and increase government tax revenue.