Minimum Unit Pricing made no ‘significant’ difference to heavy drinkers – except they paid £24 a week more for their booze after the policy came into force.
A study of hundreds of Scots using drug and alcohol treatment services found the SNP’s policy had no significant effects of on their alcohol consumption or health.
The only notable difference before and after the policy was introduced was they were spending far more on alcohol.
Researchers surveyed Scots and English drinkers receiving treatment for alcohol dependency both before and after MUP came into force.
The revelation is the latest to cast doubt on the flagship policy which was supposed to cut problem drinking and save lives.
Minimum Unit Pricing had no ‘significant’ effect on heavy drinkers, the study revealed
There has been huge controversy amid concerns it hits responsible drinkers while failing to tackle the booze death toll.
The survey findings come after the latest hike earlier this month, pushing the minimum price of alcohol from 50p to 65p a unit.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘Contrary to SNP claims, MUP is not the silver bullet to tackle problem drinking.
‘Alcohol-related deaths are at their highest levels since 2008, yet instead of admitting that MUP is failing, the SNP have doubled down on their flawed policy and hiked prices which will lead to people skipping meals to afford booze.’
Introduced in 2018, MUP set a minimum price on alcohol, aimed at raising the cost of the cheapest, strongest drinks as a deterrent for problem drinkers.
Researchers from the universities of Newcastle and Sheffield interviewed hundreds of people using alcohol and drug treatment services in the months before and up to 22 months after MUP came into force.
They concluded: ‘The introduction of MUP in Scotland was associated with increases in the prices paid for alcohol by people with dependence and presenting to treatment services.
‘There was no evidence of changes in their alcohol consumption or health status.’
Researcher John Holmes, professor of alcohol policy at the University of Sheffield, said: ‘People receiving treatment for alcohol problems bought large amounts of cheap alcohol. This meant they paid substantially more for their alcohol after the introduction of MUP.’
He added that the ‘small number’ of people in the study – more than 700 – makes it difficult to draw many other conclusions about the impacts of MUP.
Professor Holmes said: ‘Other studies show that MUP led to reductions in alcohol consumption among heavier drinkers and an immediate, large reduction in deaths from conditions caused only by alcohol.’
Last year 1,277 people in Scotland died from alcohol-related conditions, the highest in 15 years.
Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: ‘The truth is, minimum pricing has been a fiasco.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘MUP has saved hundreds of lives.’