Alcohol Purchases Down After Minimum Unit Pricing?
                     Alcohol Purchases Down After Minimum Unit Pricing?
Signs That Alcohol Purchases Are Down After Minimum Unit Pricing In Scotland.
 
It was a ground-breaking change in the law designed to reduce the number of people drinking in 
Scotland. Minimum pricing on alcohol was introduced in May 2018. The change in the law saw 
alcohol for sale for a minimum of 50p a unit. This was to decrease the rate of people consuming 
alcohol and, according to a recent study, it seems to have been a success.
Research appearing in the British Medical Journal focused on the amount of alcohol purchased 
in shops before the change in legislation, and after it came into effect, up to the end of last year.
Report from Newcastle University
The report, compiled by a research team based at Newcastle University, concluded the quantity 
of alcohol purchased by an individual each week declined by 1.2 units. This amounting to a 
measure of spirits or half a pint of beer.
 
However, the research did not take pubs, restaurants or bars into account, which make up one in 
four of all alcoholic drinks bought in Scotland.
 60,000 Households surveyed
 
The researchers looked at the shopping patterns of 55,000 households in England and 5,000 in 
Scotland from 2015 to 2018, when it came to buying alcohol. They found the members of the 
English control group drunk a little more, while alcohol sales in Scotland decreased. All in all, the 
study noted a decline of over 7% or 1.2 units a week for every adult over what was anticipated.
 
Researchers believe this adds up to a decrease of approximately 200% before the new legislation 
began. They noticed a sizeable decline in the sale high-strength white cider and spirits, including 
the home brand variety.
 Amount of units purchased still above recommended limits
 
The study also found Scottish people were still purchasing more than 14 units of alcohol a week 
since the law was introduced. Therefore, despite the initial hopeful results, many believe there is 
still a need to check later, to see if the decline in sales is continuing. Especially after it was 
reported the number of people drinking in this country may have increased again near the end 
of 2018.
 
For some, this is only to be expected and should not put a dampener on the findings of the 
report. Also, many consider the effects of minimum unit pricing in Scotland to be encouraging.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49831575
https://www.whichrehab.co.uk/alcohol-purchases-down-after-minimum-unit-pricing/