Report highlights positive impact of minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Falkirk area and beyond

MUP came into force on May 1, 2018 and requires all licensed premises in Scotland to set a floor price of 50 pence per unit of alcohol, below which alcohol cannot be sold.

Carried out in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, this new study evaluates the impact of MUP on alcohol health harms, over the first two-and-half years of the policy.

It estimates a 13.4 per cent reduction in deaths, and a 4.1 per cent reduction in hospital admissions, wholly attributable to alcohol consumption following the implementation of MUP.

The study also found that MUP reduced deaths and hospital admissions where alcohol consumption may be one of a range of causative factors. The findings cover the period from MUP implementation up to the end of 2020.

This latest report builds on previous work that estimated alcohol sales reduced by three per cent in the three years following the implementation of MUP.

Dr Grant Wyper, Public Health intelligence adviser at PHS, said: “Our study estimates that, following more than two and a half years of implementation, around 150 deaths, and around 400 hospital admissions, wholly attributable to alcohol consumption, were averted each year due to MUP.

"The greatest reductions were seen for chronic alcohol health harms, in particular alcoholic liver disease, which were slightly offset with less certain evidence of increases in acute alcohol health harms.

"The findings highlight the largest reductions were found for males, and for those living in the 40 per cent most deprived areas, groups which are known to experience disproportionally high levels of alcohol health harms in Scotland.

“We know that those living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas in Scotland experience alcohol-specific death rates more than five times higher compared to those living in the least deprived areas.

"The results published today are therefore very encouraging in addressing this inequality, and the overall scale of preventable harm which affects far too many people.”

Visit the website to view the full report.