There are calls for minimum unit pricing (MUP) to be introduced in Northern Ireland amid an increasing number of alcohol-related illnesses and deaths.
An event in Belfast on Thursday, organised by the Institute of Public Health, heard how MUP could help save lives and reduce alcohol harm.
Figures show that Northern Ireland recorded 356 alcohol-specific deaths, the second-highest rate in the UK, in 2022.
Amid the growing concern over the high numbers of illness and deaths related to alcohol, leading academics, clinicians and addiction experts from across the UK and Ireland met at Stormont to discuss how MUP could reduce levels of alcohol harm in Northern Ireland.
Already implemented in the Republic, Scotland and Wales, it aims to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol.
Research has revealed that after Scotland introduced the pricing in 2018, successful outcomes have been reported, including lives saved and fewer hospital admissions.
Increasingly, MUP is shown to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption, particularly among dependent drinkers and young people, who favour cheap strong alcohol.
Other research suggests a 50p MUP in Northern Ireland would reduce alcohol consumption by 3.2%, preventing 29 alcohol-attributable deaths annually.
It also predicted it would help save the NHS £2.2 million per year by reducing hospital admissions.
Further positive impacts on wider society suggest there could be 1,222 fewer alcohol-attributable crimes each year in the north, saving society £11 million.
Last year, a new system came into effect that meant alcohol products are taxed according to strength, which has led to some price increases. Alcohol duty rates had remained frozen since 2020.
Stormont health minister Mike Nesbitt said he welcomed the event in helping to set out the “evidence and encouraging a public and political conversation on this important topic”.
“There are indications that setting a minimum unit price could have significant positive benefits for reducing the harm alcohol can cause, reducing the impact on our health service, and reducing alcohol related deaths,” he said.
“Importantly, this targeted measure could have the biggest impact on those most at risk of alcohol-related harm.
“It also has potential to reduce health inequalities in Northern Ireland, which I have committed to addressing as a priority.”
Dr Roger McCorry, hepatologist and alcohol lead at the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, said: “The burden of alcohol related harm in Northern Ireland is escalating, impacting on both healthcare and society in general.
“The steady increase in alcohol related mortality and its strong association with social deprivation is of particular concern.
“Public health measures to address this, with a focus on reducing the accessibility of alcohol, are long overdue.
“The compelling data generated from the Scottish experience of MUP demonstrates, not only the potential for improved health outcomes for our population, but also the positive impact on stretched healthcare resources.”
Alex Bunting, director of therapeutic and wellbeing services at the all-island charity Inspire, said: “We welcome the opportunity to discuss the potential benefits of introducing minimum unit pricing here in NI, and to talk about some of the real-life issues we see as a service provider, supporting those directly and indirectly impacted by alcohol.
“Statistics show how alcohol related deaths here have grown by 45.9 % since 2012, with mortality rates being four times higher in the most deprived communities.
“Inspire witness every day the strong links between poverty, substance use, suicide, and poor physical health.”
