Doctors in Britain are urging the government to set a minimum price for
alcoholic drinks claiming that such a move will not only fill the
government coffers, but also reduce the price load on consumers.
In his report, Dr Chris Record who works as a consultant
gastroenterologist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary writes that pricing
a minimum of 50p on a unit of alcohol will make binge drinking that
much more expensive and allow the government to exercise full control.
"The fact is, 80 per cent of alcohol purchases are made by only 30 per
cent of the population and at a time when families are finding it more
difficult to make ends meet, it is unfair that the moderate-drinking
majority should be subsidising a heavy-drinking minority," he said.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said minimum pricing may not be the answer, but added that sensible pricing was required.
The report is published in the journal Clinical Medicine.
RAS
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about Alcoholic Liver Disease.
There is more to alcohol than mere intoxication. Infamous because of its social abuse but indispensable because of its many industrial applications.
Alcohol and driving do not mix. Drunken driving is the cause of many deaths in the world.
