Drink action not serious (From Oxford Mail)

Drink action not serious

10:00am Wednesday 16th May 2012 in Letters

The Scottish Government’s proposal of a mere 50p minimum cost per unit of alcohol indicates that they are not taking the dangers of alcohol seriously.

It is a tokenistic gesture which, while providing a major financial boost to alcohol retailers and manufacturers, will do nothing to improve the health and well-being of all our citizens.

It is a sad truth that the 60 deaths per annum that they claim will be avoided are likely to be of the poor and feckless underclass who, while being mourned by a few friends and family, would probably otherwise go unmissed in the greater scheme of things.

Meanwhile, those with even marginally greater income will, to the detriment of us all, continue to imbibe this noxious and toxic drug in as large a quantity as they desire.

The optimum option for our public health is to ban alcohol completely and socially engineer a zero tolerance attitude to its consumption, sale and manufacture.

In the short term, a minimum price of say £100 per unit would genuinely deter all but the idle rich who, like the underclasses, are not of major benefit to society and can be considered similarly expendable.

JOHN EOIN DOUGLAS Spey Terrace Edinburgh

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