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(Scottish) Health chief wants to outlaw alcohol commercials to cut drink deaths
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| Contributor | Bob |
| Last Edited | Bob Jul 13, 2009 02:05pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Lesley Roberts |
| News Date | Sunday, May 24, 2009 08:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | SCOTLAND'S top doctor wants to ban drinks firms from advertising in a bid to tackle the country's booze problem.
Chief medical officer Harry Burns insists outlawing drink ads is the only way to change Scottish drinking habits and halt the spiralling number of boozerelated deaths.
He believes we should follow France and implement a total ban on advertising all alcoholic drinks.
It would include all sponsorship, such as Carling's shirt deal with the Old Firm.
Dr Burns said: "France always had the highest level of deaths from alcoholic liver disease in western Europe until they banned adverts. They started on a downward trend soon afterwards.
"Now Scotland easily has the fastest rising rates of alcoholrelated deaths.
"The evidence from France is that if you take action you can change things quickly." The French government passed the Evin Law in 1991, banning the promotion of alcohol.
The country is considering an extension of the law to block internet advertising too.
Despite protests from the drinks industry, which has introduced measures to promote sensible drinking, Dr Burns insists legal controls are the only answer.
He said: "The idea that you can change alcohol consumption without government intervention isn't borne out by the facts.
"When I treated patients who were dying as a result of smoking, they'd say to me, 'If cigarettes were that bad the government would do something about it'.
"The government did and we're already seeing the huge health benefits of the smoking ban. |
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