The price of alcohol

Sir, – For seven years, we in the Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland of healthcare professionals, NGOs and public health advocates have sought to encourage a constructive new direction in public alcohol policy. Our commitment was to ensure that Ireland’s chronic problematic use of alcohol was addressed as a public health crisis.

Crucially, we believe, informed by international best policy evidence, that adequate control and regulation had to be established in order to curb the demand for alcohol. This will ensure that less alcohol is purchased with consequent reduction in alcohol harms. This would be particularly helpful to those who caused themselves, and others, the most harm through persistent binge and heavy drinking.

The public health objectives of reducing the high rate of alcohol related deaths and lessening the alcohol harm were paramount. Today, three people will die directly because of alcohol and seven indirectly in Ireland. Over the past 40 years the mortality rate from alcohol-related liver disease has increased 400 per cent .

Central to this public health approach was the need to address the universal availability of cheap strong alcohol in every community throughout Ireland. This damaging situation has been sustained by a hyper-competition amongst retailers and fuelled by the commercial practices of the alcohol producers.

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The solution to ending this alcohol fuelled epidemic of harms and death is the implementation of minimum pricing for alcohol products - a policy approach recommended by the World Health Organisation, whereby a floor price is introduced below which a fixed volume of alcohol cannot be sold to the public.

Minimum-unit pricing increases the price of only the cheapest alcohol. Numerous reviews of the scientific evidence have concluded that pricing policies are a highly effective measure to reduce alcohol related harm.

Having enacted the Public Health Alcohol Act, five years after the process had begun, we anticipated that the legislation would be implemented, in full. Sadly, for the thousands of people who have lost their lives since then, Government has chosen not to implement the key measures.

This week we have again had the prospect that minimum-unit pricing will be commenced, with Minister for Health Donnelly and Minister of State for Public Health Frank Feighan courageously leading on this initiative.

There have been a number of attempts to introduce minimum-unit pricing. However, on each occasion, choices have been made to protect commercial interests ahead of the greater public good.

However, on each occasion, choices have been made to protect commercial interests ahead of the greater public good.

This time we urge all those faced with approving this action to finally choose better public health outcomes. – Yours, etc,

Prof FRANK MURRAY,

Chairman,

Alcohol Health

Alliance Ireland;

Prof MARY HORGAN,

President,

Royal College

of Physicians of Ireland;

DR SHEILA GILHEANY,

Chief Executive Officer,

Alcohol Action Ireland;

DR INA KELLY,

President,

Irish Medical Organisation;

Dr TRIONA McCARTHY,

Director of Public Health,

National Cancer

Control Programme;

ProF JOHN RYAN,

Consultant Hepatologist,

Beaumont Hospital,

DR STEPHEN STEWART

Director Mater Misericordiae Liver Centre;

DR ORLA CROSBIE

Consultant Hepatologist;

PROF JOE BARRY

Adjunct Professor of Public Health Medicine, TCD;

DR BOBBY SMYTH

Consultant child & adolescent psychiatrist;

SUZANNE CONNOLLY

CEO

Barnardos;

TIM COLLINS

CEO

Irish Heart Foundation;

Senator FRANCES BLACK;

JOHN & ANNE HIGGINS

RACHEL MORROGH

Director Advocacy & External Affairs

Irish Cancer Society;

ETAIN KETT

Public Affairs & Communications Manager

Dental Health Foundation;

MARY CUNNINGHAM

CEO

National Youth Council of Ireland;

FIONA COYLE

CEO

Mental Health Reform ;

TANYA WARD

Chief Executive

Children’s Rights Alliance;

MARTIN ROGAN

CEO

Mental Health Ireland;

TINA LEONARD

Head of Advocacy & Public Affairs

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland;

JOHN CHURCH

CEO

Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC);

DONNA PRICE

Chair

Irish Road Victims’ Association;

DR HUGH GALLAGHER

GP Coordinator, HSE Addiction Service;

DR SIOBHAN JENNINGS

Specialist in Public Health Medicine;

JOHN BENNETT

Finglas Cabra Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;

KAY O’SHAUGHNESSY

Hillgrove Outreach Project Blackpool & Farranree;

JACQUELINE DALY

Cork Community Action on Alcohol Network;

ROLANDE ANDERSON

Addiction Counsellor;

CATHERINE KEANE

COLIN FOWLER

Director of Operations,

Men’s Health Forum in Ireland;

KIERAN DOHERTY

CEO

Alcohol Forum;

RONAN DILLION

Chair,

Association for Health Promotion Ireland;

DAVID BLACKHOUSE

Deputy National Secretary

YMCA Ireland;

DAVID LANE

Drug and Alcohol Services Coordinator

Cork Kerry Community Healthcare;

COLETTE KELLEHER

Chair

Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;

GEMMA O’LEARY SHORTT

Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;

MELLA MAGEE

CODAAP Cork.