UK expected to raise alcohol price

By Jimmy Downs

The UK government is considering introducing minimum pricing for alcohol in hopes that the new measure will help cut abuse and costs in medical services, news media reported.

The House of Commons health select committee on Friday is expected to report soaring rates of addition, and huge costs in health services related to alcohol consumption.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians was cited as saying that the growing addition to alcohol costs the government over £2.7bn each year and the expenditure had doubled in fewer than five years.

The health select committee report is expected to recommend a minimum price of 50p a unit of alcohol and to suggest this price hiking could save 3,000 men and women in the UK each year.

Alcoholic beverages are cancer-causing agents, according to the U.S. National Toxicology Program.  High consumption of alcohol leads to domestic violence, reduced productivity, incidents and a variety of health problems including increased risk of cancer.

U.S. physicians recommend that if you don’t drink alcohol, do not get started and if you do, drink in moderation.