Alcohol deaths would have been higher without minimum unit pricing – minister

Elena Whitham spoke to journalists after figures released on Tuesday showed 1,276 people died from alcohol last year, the highest figure since 2008.

But the minister said the policy – which places a minimum charge of 50p per unit of alcohol – has been working.

A report in June from Public Health Scotland (PHS) found that alcohol deaths had reduced by 13.4% since the policy’s introduction – despite the figures released on Tuesday showing the number was 1,136 in 2018, the same year the policy was introduced.

“We know that the evaluation from Public Health Scotland shows that there has been an estimated hundreds of people whose lives have been saved by minimum unit pricing,” the minister said.

“Those are really positive measures, but I think if we didn’t have minimum unit pricing in place, I think that the deaths that we would be seeing today would have been higher.”

Her comments come as the Scottish Government is under fire after reportedly altering a press release about the PHS report on its website to say the policy is “estimated to have saved lives” from the claim that “our world-leading policy is saving lives”.

Ms Whitham also said both her and First Minister Humza Yousaf’s eyes were “firmly back on the ball” in the fight against addiction.

The poorest in Scotland, the figures showed, were more than four times more likely to die because of alcohol than those in the least deprived areas.

The age standardised mortality rate – which provides a weighted average per 100,000 of population – for those in the least affluent 20% of areas was 41.7, compared with just 9.6 in the richest 20%.

The majority of deaths in 2022 were recorded in men, with 836 deaths logged.

This was the same figure as the previous year, meaning the entirety of the increase in deaths was recorded in women.

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area – the largest in the country – recorded the highest number of deaths with 326, followed by NHS Lanarkshire with 200 and NHS Lothian – which includes Edinburgh – with 153.

The majority of deaths logged alcoholic liver disease as an underlying cause of death, with 778.

The minister said it was “really important” the Scottish Government “take the time” to assess what was behind the rise in alcohol deaths, as well as what can be done over the increase in deaths among women.

Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, chairman of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said he was “saddened” by the figures, adding: “The Scottish Government must do more to ensure that this level of harm does not continue.

“It is essential that our government addresses this public health emergency with the appropriate urgency and priority.

“It is vital that policies such as MUP remain in place to continue to reduce alcohol-related harms. The level at which MUP is set should be raised to at least 65p to maintain its benefit.

“Alongside this, the Scottish Government must address the wider availability and marketing of alcohol, in order to tackle the inescapable exposure to alcohol experienced by children and other vulnerable groups, such as people in recovery.”

But Alcohol Focus Scotland said the increase was “unacceptable”, with the group’s deputy chief executive Laura Mahon adding: “For the third year in a row we’ve seen deaths caused by alcohol increasing.

“This is completely unacceptable, with each of these deaths being preventable.

“We need to be going further and faster in our efforts to reverse this appalling trend.”

She added that the MUP should be increased to 65p.

The Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the figures were “utterly shocking” and claimed MUP was “simply not working”.

“It is increasingly proving to be a blunt instrument to tackle a complex problem,” he added.

“The SNP Government have even now had to embarrassingly amend a press release in which they were boasting about the apparent success of minimum unit pricing.”

Scottish Labour public health spokeswoman Carol Mochan said: “This is a public health emergency on the same scale as Scotland’s drug death crisis, and both are the legacy of the SNP’s shameful cuts to Drug and Alcohol Partnerships.

“The SNP’s failure on public health is costing lives and devastating the poorest communities –  we urgently need a comprehensive plan to support treatment services and ensure those struggling with alcohol can get the help they need.”

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton accused the Scottish Government of being “asleep at the wheel”.

While Matt Lambert, the chief executive of the Portman Group – the alcohol marketing regulator – said: “We believe this reinforces the pressing need for targeting tailored medical and social support for those drinking at the heaviest and most harmful level as a key step to help reverse this worrying trend.”