A TV watershed for alcohol adverts and compulsory health labelling on products could be brought in under new Scottish Government plans.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick unveiled a new 20-point framework at a conference in Edinburgh yesterday, as he outlined a strategy designed to tackle the negative impacts of drink.
It comes as official figures show there were 35,499 alcohol-related hospital admissions in Scotland during 2017-18.
FitzPatrick said: “We’ve got 14% higher consumption of alcohol than the rest of the UK – and the UK is about the worst in western Europe, so we have our issues that we need to resolve.
“I don’t think there’s been any clear evidence as to why Scotland’s relationship with alcohol is so challenging but it is – so we have to do something about it.
“People will make their own choices but we want to make sure they have the best possible chance to make informed choices with the information the chief medical officer has released.”
The UK Government is introducing a 9pm watershed for unhealthy food products.
Laws on marketing are not a devolved matter so Scottish ministers will push for it to cover alcohol as well. If not, calls for those powers to be devolved to Holyrood will be made so action can be taken north of the Border.
Businesses are also being asked to place health information on their products.
FitzPatrick said he will look at what legislation can be introduced if this is not done voluntarily by September 2019.
Figures released yesterday show people living in deprived areas are seven times more likely to suffer harm due to drink than others.
FitzPatrick added: “We can’t stand back and ignore the fact that right now, every day, someone who grew up in a more deprived area is far more likely to be affected by alcohol harm.”
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