Scotland has become the first country in the world to implement a minimum unit price for alcohol
The changes, coming into effect in Scotland on Tuesday May 01,2018, will drive up the price of bargain booze by setting a floor price below which a unit of alcohol cannot be sold
Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, hailed the policy, designed to cut alcohol-related harm, as "bold and brave" as it was finally brought in across the country.
The minimum 50p per unit price, delayed for six years by a legal
challenge led by the Scotch Whisky Association, has been welcomed by the
medical professional and health campaigners as the biggest breakthrough
in public health since the ban on smoking in public.
It is estimated the move could save around 392 lives in the first five years of its implementation in Scotland, where on average there are 22 alcohol-specific deaths every week and 697 hospital admissions.
The misuse of alcohol is thought to cost Scotland £3.6 billion each year, or £900 for every adult in the country.
The changes, coming into effect in Scotland on Tuesday May 01,2018, will drive up the price of bargain booze by setting a floor price below which a unit of alcohol cannot be sold
Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, hailed the policy, designed to cut alcohol-related harm, as "bold and brave" as it was finally brought in across the country.
It is estimated the move could save around 392 lives in the first five years of its implementation in Scotland, where on average there are 22 alcohol-specific deaths every week and 697 hospital admissions.
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