Scottish Minimum Alcohol Pricing

Famous last words…

3 Likes

Despite being a scottish boozebag myseIf I applaud the intent behind it. The evidence may be debatable but what is not debatable is that we have a big problem with booze and need to do something about it. It’s a fair point that this by itself won’t automatically fix the problem but does anyone know if the scottish goverment is doing anything else? I don’t live there now so I don’t know but maybe they are. If they are willing to do this then it’s a good start surely? And my feeling is that it would be the same as the smoking ban : I remember thinking that would go down badly but people just done it and would anyone want to go back to smoke filled pubs now? Surely that has had a positive effect on everyones health? I would say it’s worth trying.

2 Likes

Why doesn’t @jont2001 just marry Scottish minimum alcohol pricing if he loves it so much.

2 Likes

Not sure it will help people to stop but it maybe it’ll discourage people to get there in the first place.

3 Likes

Might as well legalise weed while you’re at it, ScotLads

Smoking has gone down, though. Some people definitely have been pushed to try and give up smoking on financial grounds.

Maybe they could make it so that you can only drink in beer gardens too

2 Likes

Obviously approaches have to be different and the smoking ban has done far more. I’m just pointing out it’s ridiculous to dismiss one aspect of a campaign to reduce smoking in that way.

1 Like

It won’t

imagine someone so emotionally unstable they’re drinking a dangerous amount in order to forget their own lives telling themselves “no that’s a quid too much”
get a grip m9s

2 Likes

would you feel differently if the money from the price rise went directly to mental health services?

I’d be happier but still think creaming tax from those most in need is pretty grubby

1 Like

so let’s make alcohol cheaper?

Not everyone who is an alcoholic is a desperate or emotionally unstable person though. Those people need help that this policy won’t provide, I agree, but anything that might discourage new drinkers from going to super-strength cheap booze doesn’t seem to be the world’s worst idea to me.

Admittedly, my opinion is swayed by the fact that the alcohol industry was against it, so I’m automatically predisposed to think it must be a good thing. They’re like the taxpayers alliance that way.

1 Like

Nationalise land

truth is I think it’s probably a complicated issue.

Course the industry was against it, it’s going to affect their profits.
I think the idea of solving binge drinking/those who hold down a relatively normal lifestyle but are on the verge of drinking dangerously being put off by price is frankly fucking ridiculous - it’s our wider socioecocnomic structure that’s causing a dangerous approach to drinking culture coupled with a weak response to personal tragedies and in general a lack of support structures.
All the evidence I’ve read points to nothing but unequality and desperation as fuelling these trends, utterly nothing to do with price. People aren’t businesses they don’t act rationally particularly in relation to harmful substances and particularly when it’s such a minor change.

no kidding, that’s why this is such a fucking dumb move

yeah but it might help people?

can’t see it