Impact of Minimum Unit Pricing on Alcohol Purchases in Scotland and Wales
Submitted by Edie
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In an attempt to reduce consumption of alcohol and the harm it causes, Scotland and Wales introduced minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol purchases.
Minimum unit price (MUP) is a pricing policy that sets a strength-based threshold price for alcohol products, below which they cannot be legally sold.
This article, published in The Lancet Journal of Public Health examined:
- If the impact of the introduction of MUP in Scotland was maintained 2 years later
- Whether the introduction of MUP in Wales has had an immediate impact on reducing the amount of alcohol purchased
- Whether lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19 impacted the effects of MUP
- Whether households that buy small amounts of alcohol, particularly those with low incomes, increase their expenditure on alcohol following the introduction of MUP.
Results from the study found:
- In Scotland, price increases and purchase decreases were maintained during the first half of 2020.
- In Wales, the introduction of MUP also led to price increases and purchase decreases during the first half of 2020.
- For both Scotland and Wales, reductions in overall purchases of alcohol were largely restricted to households that bought the most alcohol.
The researchers conclude that MUP has a positive impact on reducing the consumption of alcohol and the harm it causes in Scotland and Wales and it should be considered as a positive policy option more widely.