Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, RCP special adviser on alcohol and chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said:
Health care workers who struggle every day to cope with the impact of our nation’s unhealthy drinking will welcome tough new policies in areas such as price and licensing that are based on evidence and should bring about new benefits.
In particular, the prime minister’s commitment to a minimum unit price is especially welcome, as this is the fairest and most targeted way of helping those most at risk of damage to their health – young people and the heaviest drinkers.
Sir Ian also welcomed the announcement from the Department of Health that a billion units of alcohol would be removed from alcohol products. He said:
The strength of alcoholic drinks, particularly wine, has crept up in recent years. Increasing the amount of lower alcohol beer and wine available will contribute towards helping people reduce their alcohol intake, and with it reduce their risk of chronic conditions such as liver disease. It is crucial that these products are not marketed in a way that will attract new drinkers. In order to get the best gains for health, the evidence shows that we need also to increase the price, reduce the availability, and tackle aggressive marketing of alcohol.
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