People in Scotland are buying less alcohol as a result of the introduction of the country’s minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy, a study has found.

Since May last year, a unit of alcohol has cost at least 50p and experts say the rest of the UK should quickly follow suit, with Wales expected to do so in 2020.

The research, published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that on average the amount of alcohol bought per person per week fell by 1.2 units – equivalent to half a pint of beer or cider, or a small pub measure (25ml) of spirits.

Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce MUP, which was aimed at tackling its drink culture.

A total of 23,494 people were admitted to hospital with an alcohol related issue in 2017-18, with some people admitted more than once.

People from the most deprived areas were more than eight times as likely to need to go to hospital for an alcohol related issue than those in the most affluent parts of Scotland.

Meanwhile, the poorest parts of the country had alcohol death rates that were more than seven times higher than those in the least deprived communities.

The BMJ’s study, led by researchers at Newcastle University, looked at the impact of the policy on alcohol bought in the eight months after it was brought in.

It claimed the effects were greatest in households who bought the most alcohol, with experts suggesting the policy “has achieved its ambition to make relatively cheap and strong alcohol less affordable, which in turn should positively impact public health over time”.

The report found people were buying less beer, spirits and cider, including own-brand spirits and high strength ciders that the policy was aiming to target.

The analysis was based on off-trade sales only – so sold through a shop or off-licence.

But the authors point out that heavier drinkers are more likely to buy alcohol from stores, rather than on-trade in bars and restaurants.

Lead report author Peter Anderson said: “These findings show that a minimum unit price does what it was intended to do.

“It reduces the amount of alcohol that people buy and will benefit the health of many people in Scotland, particularly those who drink the most and those with disadvantaged backgrounds.

“We urge the rest of the UK to follow Scotland’s lead – this will undoubtedly benefit many individuals and families.”

John Mooney from the University of Sunderland and Eric Carlin from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh agreed, saying: “Action is especially pressing for regions such as north east England, with comparable levels of harm from alcohol.”

But they claimed the policy was not the only answer, adding: “No single policy lever should be seen as a panacea, and MUP is still regarded in Scotland as one component of the overall strategy.”

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