POLITICIANS MUST PUT LIVES BEFORE PROFITS IN ALCOHOL DEBATE

POLITICIANS MUST PUT LIVES BEFORE PROFITS IN ALCOHOL DEBATE

HEALTH EXPERTS EXPOSE ALCOHOL LOBBYIST ATTACK

MSPs have been urged to put lives before profits in the debate over minimum pricing for alcohol.

An article in today's Herald has condemned those MSPs who have put concerns of the drinks industry before the evidence of health professionals in the debate over minimum pricing and called for politicians to put the views of health professionals first.

Writing in the newspaper Dr Richard Watson, who is Clinical lead on substance abuse at the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland describes the whisky lobby's arguments as "bizarre" and says:

"It annoys me that MSPs seem to give equal weight to medical groups and experts as to commercial lobbyists employed by the alcohol industry. Indeed the views of the Chief Medical Officers of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland seem to be given less weight than those of the Scotch Whisky Association and other lobbyists."

The article continues to state "I urge politicians to listen to the experts who have public health and welfare at heart, rather than lobby groups trying to maintain profits."

SNP MSP Michael Matheson, a member of the Scottish Parliament's Health committee said:

"Richard Watson is the latest respected professional to add his voice to calls for MSPs to take minimum pricing proposals seriously. The Scottish Government's proposals are the best opportunity to tackle Scotland's alcohol problem.

"Dr Watson's views demonstrate the disappointment many health professionals are currently feeling with opposition politicians refusal to engage on the health arguments around this policy.

"It does not matter how opposition politicians or industry lobbyists spin the figures alcohol is doing harm to our economy, to our community and to many families. No one is immune from the problems alcohol is causing our society.

"The alcohol industry is entitled to have it's views listened too but with Scotland's pub trade and many smaller alcohol producers backing the legislation the only opposition is from supermarkets and big distillers who are as concerned about the impact of minimum pricing on cheap vodka - which will face price rises - as they are on whisky which will go largely unchanged."