Professor Chris Hackley, from the School of Management at Royal Holloway, University of London, has raised doubts about the effectiveness of proposals to introduce minimum prices for alcoholic drinks in an effort to curtail ‘binge drinking’ in Britain.
In a report citing research commissioned by the Department of Health at the University of Sheffield, the country’s chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has encouraged the British government to set a minimum price for alcoholic drinks. Under this proposal, no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol contained within, in an effort to combat alcohol misuse.
However, Professor Hackley, who has done extensive research into young people and alcohol, has admitted concerns following Sir Donaldson’s proposal. Professor Hackley argues that, ‘The level of pricing would have to be very high indeed to return alcohol’s relative affordability to the level of 20 years ago. This would meet with intense opposition from the powerful alcohol industry who would argue that it would penalise sensible drinkers and seriously undermine the already creaking UK pub industry’.
According to Professor Hackley, although price control might influence consumption levels at the margins, it would be unlikely to address single-handedly the UK’s deep and complex alcohol problem. He warns that this has arisen over many years under conditions of an explosion in the number of high strength branded alcohol products available; a huge increase in alcohol advertising and marketing and a redirection of alcohol marketing towards youth orientation; and a liberalisation of licensing and urban planning laws around drinking venues and alcohol retailing.
Professor Hackley even warned that price control in itself would be difficult to police and could lead to an increase in criminal activity in alcohol supply. He suggests instead that, ‘A long term solution must lie in measures which address the UK’s culture of intoxication, which has arisen under the influence of the alcohol industry and government alcohol policy’.
Royal Holloway, University of London