The Sunday Post is front-paging a report by a think tank with no background in researching health matters.
Here are the established facts that matter:
The introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland is associated with significant reductions in deaths from alcohol consumption, research has found.
Over a period of two years and eight months after the policy was rolled out in Scotland a 13% reduction was seen in deaths from alcohol consumption when compared with an estimate of the deaths that would have occurred without the legislation, using data from England. This is equivalent to avoiding 156 deaths a year, found the study by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow, published in the Lancet.1
The greatest reductions in deaths were seen in people living in the most socioeconomically deprived 40% of Scotland and in men.
https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p672.full
The Post’s researchers, the Centre for Economics & Business Research, list no funding sources – alcohol industry?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
As a nurse working with dependent drinkers, I can tell you that minimum pricing has nothing to do with helping those who already have established alcohol dependence, the only way forward for them is total abstinence. MUP is aimed at stopping people becoming dependent which they would do if we had allowed them to carry on drinking 8.5% white cider at £3.40 for 25.5 units of alcohol (vitrually a bottle of whisky which has 28 units), which is what a lot of younger people were doing until MUP. They may probably still spend the same amount on alcohol but it will be 6 units (eg 3 cans of lager), therefore not at nearly the same risk of becoming ‘alcoholics’. Note that the MSM have never, to my knowledge mentioned cheap cider when discussing MUP, BBC talked about table wine mostly which saw virtually no increase.
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It’s obvious to anyone with even minimal sense that the cheaper alcohol is the more of it people will drink we see it in pubs all the time.
It’s also obvious that the newspapers and BBC Scotland attack the minimum pricing policy using incorrect information which is clearly an intention to mislead people , why would they do that ? is it because they actually want people to become alcoholics so they can then blame Scottish government or is it because they wish to support business even those businesses that kill people selling them cheap booze and cigarettes ?
Or is it both ?
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As David Livingstone highlighted above “minimum pricing has nothing to do with helping those who already have established alcohol dependence”, and the Sunday Pish article’s author “Mark Howarth” knows that full well hence the framing of the article.
As his record shows, Mark is not averse to bending reality so long as he makes a buck – Very much of the JRM category absent enormous accumulated wealth, ego, nanny, and continued survival in the House of Lards https://muckrack.com/mark-howarth/articles.
Perhaps he has aspirations per future Lard James Cook for ‘contributions in conning Scots’, with Glenn Campbell finally getting recognition as a Baldyrick.
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MUP results in people drinking less. Scotland drunk 25% more than the rest of the UK. That is down to 10%. Less % allowed for driving. People drinking less before driving or getting to work. Cutting accidents and deaths. Less people needing hospital treatment and liver transplants. Higher employment rates.
Scottish Gov funding ‘total abstinence’ proper rehab facilities over 5 years. £250million. Already more proper rehab facilities opening in the Borders & Dundee. More will be opened elsewhere in other places. Publicly funded, so they do not have to be paid privately. More people can get detox and professional help.
Less people being put on methadone for years. Then dying taking other substances. Saving lives and £Billions of public money. Healthcare funding.
MUP is just a start. To saving lives and public monies. Less people in prison. Alcohol/Drug excesses are linked to crime. Crime committed while under the influence. Drinks in the wit’s oot.
Less consumption of alcohol leads to a healthy society and better life span. Average 40+ drugs. 50+ alcohol deaths.
Scottish Gov cannot tax alcohol or limits drinking hours. Councils can limit opening hours. Unionist (councils) get funded by Tories to keep licences premises opened longer. Donations to the Tories on the take. To muck up other people’s lives. Promoting alcohol and drugs premises. Increasing crime and deprivation. To fund the Tory/unionist party. Candidates and clients.
Labour did not support the smoking ban or MUP. Encouraging their supporters to smoke and drink themselves to death. A higher death rate. Life expectancy going down in the South under Westminster guidance. Blair’s 24 hour drinking sessions expanded. 24/7 drinking hours.
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Sunday Post Thomson married to Marra ex MSP. Biased unionist £millionaires. Off shore taxing? List 3rd loser wins. List for the NE Scotland. Not even resident in the constituency. Another promoted Con. Unionist Party. Red/Blue and yellow. Or trying to be green. Deceiving people.
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