14th of May 2012 - Scottish Government Bottles Out On Ban

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14th of May 2012

Dear Sir/Madam,

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT BOTTLES OUT ON BAN

The Scottish Government's proposal of a mere 50p minimum cost per unit of alcohol clearly indicates that they are not taking the dangers of alcohol seriously.  It is a tokenistic gesture which, whilst providing a major financial boost to alcohol retailers and manufacturers, will do nothing to improve the health and wellbeing of all our citizens.

It is a sad truth that the sixty deaths per annum that they claim will be avoided are likely to be of the poor and feckless underclass who, whilst doubtless being mourned by a few friends and family, would probably otherwise go unmissed in the greater scheme of things. Meanwhile, those with even marginally greater income and better money management skills will, to the detriment of us all, continue to imbibe this noxious and toxic drug in as large a quantity as they desire.

The optimum option for our public health is to ban alcohol completely and socially engineer a Zero Tolerance attitude to its consumption, sale and manufacture. In the short term, a minimum price of say £100 per unit would genuinely deter all but the idle rich who, like the underclasses, are not of major benefit to society and can be considered similarly expendable.

John Eoin Douglas