British Prime Minister Gordon Brown declined on Monday to back calls from his top medical advisor to set a minimum price on alcohol to tackle binge drinking.
Liam Donaldson, Englands chief medical officer, proposed in a report published Monday that a charge of at least 50 pence (0.55 euro, 0.70 dollar) be made per unit of alcohol, echoing a separate proposal made by Scotlands devolved government in its territory. Brown, however, declined to give his support to the scheme, telling reporters at a press conference at Downing Street: "Its right for society to bear down on, and deal with, anti-social behaviour thats associated with drinking.
"But... we do not want the responsible, sensible majority of moderate drinkers to have to pay more or suffer as a result of the excesses of a small minority." According to Donaldson, a 50-pence minimum price would cut the annual number of alcohol-related deaths by a quarter, lead to 46,000 fewer crimes and 100,000 fewer hospital admissions, saving the government one billion pounds.
"Quite simply, England is drinking far too much," he wrote in the report. "England has an alcohol problem. Alcohol is harming society. Alcohol is not simply a problem for the minority who are dependent on it - it is a problem for everybody."
Donaldsons proposal, which could significantly increase the cost of cut-price alcohol sold by supermarkets, is supported by health professionals and charities, but drinks manufacturers are opposed. Alcohol-related illnesses cost the government-run National Health Service (NHS) 2.7 billion pounds a year, without counting the cost to police and others of excessive drinking habits, according to official estimates.
Comments
Comments are closed.