New South Wales could take a lesson from this report which advises
strategies against the increasing availability and reducing real price
of alcohol. The twin forces of increased business and increased taxation
need to be balanced by public health factors. Report from BMJ free on
the 'net.
BMJ 2004;328:542 6 March
News roundup.
'Government must take unpopular decisions to reduce alcohol consumption.'
London Owen Dyer
Britain "has reached a point where it is necessary and urgent to call
time on runaway alcohol consumption," a report on drinking trends says.
The report, by the Academy of Medical Sciences, calls on the government
to take immediate measures not only to stop the rise in alcohol
consumption but to cut drinking to 1970 levels, a reduction of 33%.
Evidence from recent years in Europe indicates that the increased burden
of health problems related to alcohol has fallen disproportionately on
young people. A 2001 report by the chief medical officer said that the
number of deaths from cirrhosis among men aged 25 to 44 years rose from
49 in 1970 to 470 in 2000, an increase of 959%.
The report’s concrete recommendations include raising taxes on alcohol,
reducing travellers’ alcohol allowances in the European Union, reviewing
advertising practices, and reducing the blood alcohol limit for drivers
from 0.08% to 0.05%.
Calling Time is accessible on the academy’s website at www.acmedsci.ac.uk
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7439/542-b
