Scottish Families fully welcomes the implementation of this landmark policy today; we believe this is a step in the right direction in changing Scotland’s relationship with alcohol. The evidence behind the policy tells us that Minimum Unit Pricing will reduce the disproportionately high levels of alcohol-related harm that impacts individuals, families and whole communities on a daily basis.
Scotland is the first country in the world to introduce a proposed 50p Minimum Unit Price (MUP) on alcohol, we believe this brave measure is the most effective way of curbing some of the 24 preventable alcohol-related deaths we see each week in Scotland.
In 2016, 59% of those who contacted our helpline said their loved one was not engaged in any form of treatment often resulting in many families taking on the role of providing support to limit the impact of excessive alcohol consumption. We know that MUP is not a quick fix for all alcohol-related problems in Scotland, but it is a step in the right direction and is one of a variety of whole-population measures being called for in the refresh of Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy.