Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK
Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK
Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>First</strong>: an <strong>evidence</strong>-<strong>based</strong> <strong>alcohol</strong> <strong>strategy</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>UK</strong><br />
Recommendations<br />
Top Ten Recommendations<br />
• A minimum price of at least 50p per unit of <strong>alcohol</strong> should be introduced <strong>for</strong> all <strong>alcohol</strong> sales, toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
with a mechanism to regularly review and revise this price.<br />
• At least one third of every <strong>alcohol</strong> product label should be given over to an <strong>evidence</strong>-<strong>based</strong> health<br />
warning specified by an independent regulatory body.<br />
• The sale of <strong>alcohol</strong> in shops should be restricted to specific times of <strong>the</strong> day and designated areas. No<br />
<strong>alcohol</strong> promotion should occur outside <strong>the</strong>se areas.<br />
• The tax on every <strong>alcohol</strong> product should be proportionate to <strong>the</strong> volume of <strong>alcohol</strong> it contains. In order<br />
to incentivise <strong>the</strong> development and sale of lower strength products, <strong>the</strong> rate of taxation should increase<br />
with product strength.<br />
• Licensing legislation should be comprehensively reviewed. Licensing authorities must be empowered<br />
to tackle <strong>alcohol</strong>-related harm by controlling <strong>the</strong> total availability of <strong>alcohol</strong> in <strong>the</strong>ir jurisdiction.<br />
• All <strong>alcohol</strong> advertising and sponsorship should be prohibited. In <strong>the</strong> short term, <strong>alcohol</strong> advertising<br />
should only be permitted in newspapers and o<strong>the</strong>r adult press. Its content should be limited to factual<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation about brand, provenance and product strength.<br />
• <strong>An</strong> independent body should be established to regulate <strong>alcohol</strong> promotion, including product and<br />
packaging design, in <strong>the</strong> interests of public health and community safety.<br />
• The legal limit <strong>for</strong> blood <strong>alcohol</strong> concentration <strong>for</strong> drivers should be reduced to 50mg/100ml.<br />
• All health and social care professionals should be trained to routinely provide early identification and<br />
brief <strong>alcohol</strong> advice to <strong>the</strong>ir clients.<br />
• People who need support <strong>for</strong> <strong>alcohol</strong> problems should be routinely referred to specialist <strong>alcohol</strong><br />
services <strong>for</strong> comprehensive assessment and appropriate treatment.<br />
The development of public policy<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
Public health and community safety should be<br />
given priority in all public policy-making about<br />
<strong>alcohol</strong>.<br />
Drinks companies should contribute to <strong>the</strong> goal of<br />
reducing <strong>alcohol</strong>-related harm only as producers,<br />
distributors and marketers of <strong>alcohol</strong>. They should<br />
not be involved in <strong>alcohol</strong> policy development or<br />
health promotion.<br />
The <strong>UK</strong> government and <strong>the</strong> devolved<br />
administrations should develop appropriate<br />
<strong>alcohol</strong> policy targets <strong>for</strong> each of <strong>the</strong> nations and<br />
regions of <strong>the</strong> <strong>UK</strong>.<br />
National taxation and price policy<br />
4.<br />
5.<br />
6.<br />
7.<br />
A minimum price of at least 50p per unit of <strong>alcohol</strong><br />
should be introduced <strong>for</strong> all <strong>alcohol</strong> sales, toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
with a mechanism to regularly review and revise<br />
this price.<br />
Taxes should be used to raise <strong>the</strong> real price of<br />
<strong>alcohol</strong> products such that <strong>the</strong>ir af<strong>for</strong>dability<br />
declines over time.<br />
All bulk purchase discounting of <strong>alcohol</strong> including<br />
‘happy hours’ should be prohibited.<br />
The tax on every <strong>alcohol</strong> product should be<br />
proportionate to <strong>the</strong> volume of <strong>alcohol</strong> it contains.<br />
In order to incentivise <strong>the</strong> development and sale of<br />
7