Scotland - Minimum Unit Price - Initial Impact Study

Researchers from Newcastle University have today published in the British Medical Journal their assessment of the immediate impact of the introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland on household alcohol purchases.

The report considered the purchasing patterns for households in Scotland compared to a controlled sample in England pre and post the introduction of the 50p per unit minimum pricing policy in Scotland on 1^st May 2018.

The study did not consider on-trade sales.

The amount of alcohol purchased in Scotland showed a reduction of approximate 8% in the year after the introduction of the policy compared to a non-significant increase in England.  Scottish households still, on average, continue to buy more alcohol than their English counterparts.

The researcher’s conclusions were:

“In terms of immediate impact, the introduction of minimum unit pricing appears to have been successful in reducing the amount of alcohol purchased by households in Scotland. The action was targeted, in that reductions of purchased alcohol only occurred in the households that bought the most alcohol.”

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