The evidence for minimum unit pricing's success is far from conclusive - Stephen McGowan

Minimum unit pricing, which is sometimes called a “floor price” for alcohol, has been the law since it was implemented in 2018. The Scottish Government has recently agreed that the level should be increased, from 50p to 65p per unit. But Parliament has to approve whether the law stays on the statute books at all, as it is currently operating as a trial. It is anticipated that Parliament will vote to make minimum pricing permanent this spring, with the new price due to go live in September 2024.

The debate on whether minimum pricing should be made permanent is centred on a series of some 40-odd studies into whether it has had any effect. The policy intention has been described as two-fold, both a whole population approach, trying to get us to drink less as a nation, and also a targeted approach, addressing health inequalities in those who drink hazardously.

The legal case which ultimately saw the courts approve the law was, however, on the clear basis that the primary intention was to target harmful drinkers and that was one of the reasons, along with the fact it would be a trial, that the courts let it pass.