EPHA hosts seminar at the Swedish Presidency Alcohol Expert Conference

The seminar welcomed expert speakers Dr. Nick Sheron and Jack Law for a discussion of the role that pricing policy for alcoholic beverages can play in helping to reduce alcohol-related harm in the European Union and beyond.

Representative of the Royal College of Physicians at the European Alcohol and Health Forum and Consultant Hepatologist at the University of Southampton, Dr. Nick Sheron presented the strong health case for action on alcohol pricing. He highlighted some of the trends in alcohol-related harm in the EU, with an emphasis on how harm from regular drinking could be effectively reduced by pricing policies. By presenting the alcohol-attributable burden of disease, Dr. Nick Sheron showed that the evidence for action to reduce alcohol-related is already significant.

Jack Law, Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, illustrated how this evidence has influenced the Scottish Government to take a lead in seeking to implement some of these policies at a national level. He documented the anticipated impact of the minimum pricing initiative, identifying the main social groups that the policy targets- heavy drinkers and underage drinkers. He also addressed the health inequalites associated with alcohol consumption and explained how this policy will help to reduce the impact of alcohol on those heavy drinkers from socially-disadvantage backgrounds. Jack Law presented some conclusive evidence from England on the effectiveness of minimum pricing, and said that the Scottish Government is awaiting the results of a study commissioned for Scotland.

The seminar was well-attended and participants asked a number of interesting questions, including whether the Scottish Government has considered the unintended consequences of this policy such as an increase in cross-border trade or the consumption of illicit/non-commercial alcohol. There was significant interest and support among participants for such an initiative.

For further information

 Royal College of Physicians
 Alcohol Focus Scotland