ALCOHOL CONCERN WELCOMES NEW BMA REPORT CALLING FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ALCOHOL POLICIES

Alcohol Concern Statement

Thursday 21 February 2008



ALCOHOL CONCERN WELCOMES NEW BMA REPORT CALLING FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ALCOHOL POLICIES


Alcohol Concern welcomes the launch today of the BMA's hard hitting report Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic.

Don Shenker, Director of Policy and Services said:

"Ministers and civil servants are no doubt committed to bringing down alcohol-related harms, but it can sometimes seem from the outside that they're ducking the big choices. The fact of the matter is price is a crucial determinant of how much we drink. Moderate, well targeted tax rises could, by some estimates reduce alcohol-related deaths by 37%, with younger and heavy drinkers particularly affected. We also welcome the BMA's call for more treatment funding and a national standardised screening and brief interventions programme in all healthcare settings. GPs have a vital role to play in identifying signs of problem drinking as early as possible with their patients so that it can be dealt with before it leads to more serious health problems."

Key recommendations from the report include:

Higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and this increase should be proportionate to the amount of alcohol in the product.

An end to irresponsible promotional activities like happy hours and two-for-one offers.

Standard labels should be displayed on all alcoholic products that clearly state alcohol units, recommended guidelines for consumption and a warning message advising that exceeding these guidelines may cause the individual and others harm.

The legal limit for the level of alcohol permitted while driving should be reduced from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml throughout the UK.

Alcohol Concern has been at the forefront of the debate about how the alcohol market can be regulated more effectively. Its campaign Raising the Bar calls for an increase in alcohol taxes and the end of industry self regulation. More details can be found here: http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/Alcohol-Concern/current-campaigns-$366411$7.htm

Date: 21 February 2008