Minimum Alcohol Pricing

[Canrider]

So in a nutshell, alcohol is too widely available and too cheap.

Pulling this one line out of a very good post, because I wanted to put a point to Arch regarding Canadians:

Alcohol in the UK *IS* cheap, at least compared to NAmerica. When you come here, from there, you find that everything costs twice as much as it did back home...except booze, which is about equal in price pound-to-dollar. Any surprise it's the preferred leisure activity?
It's also much less accessible in NAmerica, and this varies by jurisdiction, but in Ontario you can't get drink at the supermarket or the corner store, you literally have to go to the government-owned LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) to buy your wine or spirits. If you want beer, there's the The Beer Store, and again, that's effectively the only place to get it. Other provinces and states work differently, but I can't think of any where alcohol is as readily available as it is in your average Sainsbury's Local.

 

[slowmotion]

Pulling this one line out of a very good post, because I wanted to put a point to Arch regarding Canadians:

Alcohol in the UK *IS* cheap, at least compared to NAmerica. When you come here, from there, you find that everything costs twice as much as it did back home...except booze, which is about equal in price pound-to-dollar.

I may have misunderstood but, as a fairly regular visitor to BC, supermarket/liquor store booze is way more expensive there compared to London. My estimate is by about 35%. I have not been since 2011, so maybe things have changed.

 

[Canrider]

I may have misunderstood but, as a fairly regular visitor to BC, supermarket/liquor store booze is way more expensive there compared to London. My estimate is by about 35%. I have not been since 2011, so maybe things have changed.

We're saying the same thing--alcohol is much more expensive (and also much more restricted in availability) in North America than it is in Britain. I'm not saying that's good, right, proper, desireable, or claiming that NAmerica has less alcohol-related health problems, but merely that in the UK, within the Anglosphere, booze is cheeeep, and specifically cheap relative to the others costs of living.

 

[Canrider]

[QUOTE 2177737, member: 9609"]It could see an alcoholic having to find an extra £1.50 for a bottle of vodka - minimum pricing will change his addiction overnight. It's another well thought through government plan.[/quote]
As has been pointed out multiple times on this thread, the point is not to reform addicts, but rather to try and reduce the social costs of those people who think they drink 'moderately', as well as making it that bit harder (ie, more expensive) for people to binge on booze.

 

[slowmotion]

Thanks CR, I had indeed misunderstood.

BTW, Oregon is the place to go. Amazingly cheap grog. Actually, if you want serious relaxation, Washington looks like it could become interesting, judging by some proposed changes in legislation.

 

[Canrider]

[QUOTE 2177749, member: 9609"]So do you really think that £1.50 on a bottle of cheap vodka is going to change the habits of either a binge drinker or an alcoholic ?[/quote]
It might (a bit**,once we run the stats). What are you proposing as an alternative strategy?

**Bearing in mind that 'a bit' to the NHS can mean tens of millions of Your Tax Pounds At Work.

 

[Trail Child]

Trouble is, that model was dealing with Canadians, who are oddities to begin with!

*navel-gazing and wondering if I'm really odd ...*

 

[Canrider]

*navel-gazing and wondering if I'm really odd ...*

But..you live in *Ottawa*...

weeeeeeeeeeeeerd

 

[Trail Child]

But..you live in *Ottawa*...

weeeeeeeeeeeeerd

LOL.

 

[Canrider]

[QUOTE 2177774, member: 9609"]TBH - I have no reasonable** ideas at all, but adding a few pound to the cost of getting smashed out of your head at the weekend will make no difference at all.

**Arrest, fine (very heavily) and lock up then deport anyone who is causing a nuisance through being drunk.[/quote]
So basically you have no alternative plan, but don't like this one for some so-far-unevidenced reason(s).

You might start by defining 'nuisance', and 'drunk'?

 

[Canrider]

[QUOTE 2177791, member: 9609"]some things are just obvious[/quote]
QED

 

[The Jogger]

Where or who does the price hike money go to. Is it the brewery or is it another tax.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

*navel-gazing and wondering if I'm really odd ...*

If you gaze at your navel does that not prove you are odd

Alan...

 

[martint235]

[QUOTE 2177774, member: 9609"]TBH - I have no reasonable** ideas at all, but adding a few pound to the cost of getting smashed out of your head at the weekend will make no difference at all.

**Arrest, fine (very heavily) and lock up then deport anyone who is causing a nuisance through being drunk.[/quote]
I have a really bad feeling that the nuisance drinking is largely done by Brits so there's not really anywhere you can deport them to. Unless Scotland does declare independence in which case we might get rid of some that way.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I have a really bad feeling that the nuisance drinking is largely done by Brits so there's not really anywhere you can deport them to. Unless Scotland does declare independence in which case we might get rid of some that way.

What's wrong with Australia we used to use it in the past

Alan...