ARTICLE REVIEW

Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol and Civil Liberty

Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol and Civil Liberty

Introduction

Alcoholism is a major problem in the society. Under the influence of alcohol people are bound to do things that are undesirable or break the law. It is expected from the people that consume alcohol to drink responsibly as drinking more than the limit leads to adverse consequences. The debate of minimum pricing and the misuse of alcohol has been the centre of debate in the UK. The article is against the step of the government, and believes that it is a burden on the moderate drinkers. This essay discusses the effectiveness of such a measure to control alcohol.

Discussion

The article talks about the imposition of a minimum price on alcoholic beverages, with focus on stopping the sale of cheap, highly alcoholic drinks. The aim of any government is to control the social situation in a society by implementing laws that effectively address the issues. One of the justifications given by the government to implement the minimum price is to decrease the crime rate. According to a research done in Canada this is feasible, as it has proved to be effective in reducing the deaths that are linked to alcohol. This additionally has an effect on the burden that is placed on hospitals, and ambulances to look after the victims. Consumers cannot define what a moderate drinker is; they may think that their level of drinking is moderate although it may be high. Raising prices reduces the tendency of the drinkers to consume less. Consumers that drink cheap alcohol just to be able to get more quantity and raise their level of unconsciousness are the ones that are targeted (Russell, 2013).

If Alcohol is sold at a price of 40p per units than the industry will benefit from the increase, and the government would only get a small proportion of that additional income in the form of taxes. Countries such as Canada and Sweden have put a quota on the supply, through increasing prices, and limiting sales to a limited number of retail outlets. It is not possible for the government to control the supply in the UK as the supermarkets are too big an authority on the government and the consumers. There is no alternate left for the government but to impose the minimum price (Anonymous, 2010).

In the past there have been many strategies used by government around the world to counter the problem of alcoholism as it is a growing concern. There has been engagement of many strategies ranging from awareness programs to controlling the media that promotes the use of alcohol. The adverse effects of alcohol cannot be denied as they create problems for the government and the society at large. Incidents like drunken driving accidents, fights, and rowdy public behaviour has been said to be linked to alcohol. Just like any other market product alcohol is a commodity that should be available to only those who can afford to pay for it ...