Sheffield experts: minimum alcohol pricing would save THOUSANDS of Yorkshire lives
The University of Sheffield has done the research
Last updated 2nd Mar 2020
Experts at the University of Sheffield say thousands of deaths across the North could be prevented if there were a minimum price on alcohol.
New research has found our region would benefit more than any other because the number of high risk drinkers here.
The study claims almost 8,000 lives could be saved in the North of England over the next twenty years if a unit was sold for at least 50p, more than 2,000 of them here in Yorkshire.
Professor Alan Brennan from the University of Sheffield’s School of Health and Related Research led the research team :
“This research is built on a wealth of evidence which shows that the amount we consume is closely linked to the affordability of alcohol.
"MUP is linked to the strength of the product and works by setting a floor price below which a product cannot be sold. In that way, it increases the price of the cheapest drinks which are most typically consumed by increasing and higher risk drinkers.
“The North of England has some of the highest levels of alcohol harm in the country and, as we discovered, some of the cheapest prices, so it was no surprise that it would be particularly effective in those areas.”
Scotland brought in minumum alcohol pricing in 2018 and the change is set to come into effect in Wales next week.
The new research has prompted fresh calls for England to follow suit - with the North East alcohol charity Balance saying the study is "too important for decision-makers to ignore."
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said:
“As a liver physician based in Liverpool I have seen the increasing harm caused in northern England by the widespread availability of cheap alcohol. MUP targets those products typically bought by those people who end up in our hospital wards.
“This research provides yet more evidence that MUP is an effective and targeted measure which will reduce harm and reduce the pressure on the NHS. Its introduction would undoubtedly be good news for the North, but it would also save lives in communities across England and I urge the Government to introduce it as soon as possible.”
Some have criticised Minimum Unit Pricing for penalising responsible drinkers but Sheffield experts say it would only cost moderate drinkers around £2 more a year.