Scotland has increased its minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol from 50p to 65p to account for inflation since 2018.
The MUP aims to reduce alcohol harm by setting a floor price for alcoholic drinks, with new prices such as £6.09 for a bottle of wine and £17.06 for vodka.
Studies show the policy has reduced alcohol-related deaths by 13.4% compared to what they would have been, though deaths remain high.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was confident the scheme had saved hundreds of lives, and that:
Obviously by increasing it we would hope we would see a further improvement in the situation alongside the other aspects that we are looking at, including alcohol advertising and marketing.
Scottish Greens health spokeswoman Gillian Mackay said MUP should be “an important part” of the nation’s health strategy but wider work was needed as it was not a “cure-all”.
Alison Douglas, Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, welcomed the move and called for a mechanism to automatically increase MUP by inflation.
However, Scotland is now in danger of losing its world leading position in tackling the health harms caused by alcohol. Alcohol specific deaths have just reached a 15-year high and Scottish Government has declared alcohol harm a public health emergency; yet we have seen no emergency response.
The decision to further delay a promised consultation on alcohol marketing appears to be evidence of a ‘policy chill’ created by vociferous opposition from Big Alcohol, who see effective public health action as a threat to their profit margins.