Scottish alcohol sales drop after minimum price intervention

New data finds that there has been a 3% decrease in alcohol consumption such that Scottish alcohol sales are at their lowest in 25 years. Is this - in part - the result of the introduction of a minimum price per unit?

There's lots to get your teeth into in this article - not least evaluating whether the government policy has brought about this change or other factors - such as changing tastes among the young, for example and likely estimates for price elasticity of demand.

In 2018, the volume of alcohol sold in Scotland fell 3 per cent from 2017. However this was still equivalent to 9.9 litres of pure ethanol per adult on average - or 19 units a week.

The Scottish Government estimates that if trends continue its minimum unit pricing strategy will save 392 lives over its first five years.