News
New research shows minimum pricing can reduce alcohol harm
Consumers tend to switch to less potent alcoholic
beverages when minimum prices are raised for cheap, strong drinks,
according to new research from the Centre for Addictions Research of BC
[CARBC] in Canada. The report – released today in the American Journal
of Public Health – also indicates the measure successfully reduces the
consumption of ethanol, the harmful ingredient of alcoholic drinks, and
so lowers the risk of harmful health effects.
Looking at sales data from both before and after minimum
pricing legislation was introduced in Saskatchewan, the study found
consumption of higher strength beers and wines decreased the most; a 10%
increase in the price of cheap high strength beer resulted in a 22%
fall in consumption, compared with an 8.17% fall for beer with lower
alcohol content. Overall, a 10% increase in minimum prices brought an
8.43% decrease in consumption.
“We know minimum pricing of alcohol works to reduce
consumption. This study tells how to implement the policy most
effectively,” said Dr. Tim Stockwell, CARBC director and lead author of
the report, adding that encouraging all drinkers to shift to lower
alcohol-content products will have additional, more widespread benefits.
The results of this study will come as good news for both
UK and Scottish Governments, who are looking to implement minimum unit
pricing as part of a drive to improve health and social outcomes. The
Scottish Government currently face opposition from the Scotch Whiskey
Association, who object to the policy on EU trade grounds.
Katherine Brown, Director of Policy at the UK Institute of Alcohol Studies said:
“It is widely accepted that raising the price of alcohol
reduces levels of health and social harm, however minimum pricing is a
relatively innovative mechanism which enables governments to target the
strongest, cheapest drinks that cause the most problems in society.
“This targeted effect cannot be achieved through
traditional taxation methods because of EU tax rules, so evidence to
show the effectiveness of minimum pricing in practice means we can
confidently look to this policy solution to help turn the tide against
alcohol harm in the UK.”
The research is part of an international collaborative
program led by CARBC at the University of Victoria, along with the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario, and the School of
Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield in the UK.
The findings of the report, titled 'The Raising of Minimum
Alcohol Prices in Saskatchewan, Canada: Impacts on Consumption and
implications for Public Health', are available online at: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301094.