Alcohol pricing control ‘necessary for health reasons’

The government has been called upon to exert greater control over the price of alcohol due to its harmful effects on public health.

Independent body the Institute of Alcohol Studies has said the fact that alcohol can be bought more cheaply than water in certain UK supermarkets represents a clear problem, one that has intensified in recent years.

The warning comes after the British Medical Association in Scotland criticised the Scottish government last week for failing to introduce a minimum price on alcohol.

Dr Adrian Bonner, director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, agreed with this concern, suggesting that the low cost of spirits are encouraging heavy drinking among poorer and vulnerable people in the community.

He also noted that the government should not be treating the substance in the same way as other commercially-available products.

"It should probably not [come] under the same free trade agreement as other commodities because it is really quite damaging to people's health," Dr Bonner said.