AS the world reacted with huge interest to the UK Supreme Court’s decision to allow Scotland’s global first of a law on minimum unit pricing for alcohol, the man who led the Scottish Government as it passed the law in 2012 has hailed the victory and called on the current government “to start the business of saving lives”.
Alex Salmond was First Minister when the SNP minority government tried to bring in the legislation shortly after it was elected in 2007, but it was opposed by other parties.
In 2011, the SNP won majority control of the Scottish Government and made the minimum unit pricing a flagship policy.
The Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill passed comfortably, with only Scottish Labour – Malcolm Chisholm MSP was a notable exception – outrightly opposing the measure. The Scotch Whisky Association, joined by other drinks companies, then launched a five-year legal bid against the Act claiming it broke EU competition law.
Ten years on from when he first tried to bring in the law, Salmond spoke exclusively to The National, saying: “It has been a long haul but now we have the law in place.
“It has been a long legal battle since the Scottish Parliament passed the Act in 2012 but it has been worth it. Now the Scottish Government must bring in the minimum unit price as soon as possible, so that we can get on and start the urgent business of saving lives.”
Within the drinks industry there has been a mixed reaction, summed up by Olly Wehring, editor of the Just-Drinks.com publication, the industry’s in-house magazine, who issued a hard-hitting editorial.
He wrote: “It was a dark day for the drinks industry yesterday, and one that demands we take a long, hard look at ourselves. Because, the confirmation of Minimum Unit Pricing’s pending arrival in Scotland suggests there’s a lot more wrong in our industry than we would have ourselves believe.
“Yesterday’s move greatly increases the likelihood of other EU countries adopting MUP. It also puts price right at the forefront of responsible drinking efforts. And that should sound alarm bells at all your HQs.
“The alcoholic drinks industry is justifiably (to a degree) proud of its efforts to promote responsible drinking. The brand-related ads, the celebrity-fronted spots, the industry-wide investments and commitments; one can’t fault alcohol companies for pushing the ‘Drink Responsibly’ mantra.
“And yet ... That the Scottish Government has been granted the powers to introduce MUP represents the first sure-fire sign that our industry can’t be trusted to regulate itself. Oh, we can shout all we like about what we’ve done and how much we’ve spent. It’s clearly not enough.
“To be clear, the Scotch Whisky Association and fellow-petitioners deserve tremendous praise for their efforts in trying to get MUP overturned – after all, the argument that setting a floor price counters free trade is economically sound. But, as the Supreme Court put it: ‘The courts should not second guess the value which a domestic legislator puts on health.’”
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