Charity calls for minimum alcohol price

By Richard O'Reilly

Health charity Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke, (NICHS) has called for an end to the sale of cheap alcohol.

Public affairs adviser for the charity Neil Johnston says that a recent poll shows 65% of people support measures to control the sale of discount alcohol.  He says that introducing a minimum price of 50p per unit would save an estimated 63 lives per year and also result in 2,500 fewer hospital admissions.

Mr Johnston also rejected criticisms that the policy would punish 'ordinary' drinkers. by claiming that pricing controls primarily 'affect high-risk drinkers'.

A high-risk drinker is a person who consumes on average 86.5 units of alcohol per week, equating to over 40 pints of lager.  

The NICHS says only 6% of people qualify as high risk. However, they are responsible for 39% of all alcohol consumption and alcohol sold for less than 50p per unit makes up the majority of alcohol purchased by such drinkers.

NICHS claim the benefits of a minimum alcohol pricing goes beyond simply health.  Neil Johnston also says crime could be cut by about £20 million per year, and workplace absence would also be reduced.