THERE should be a total ban on alcohol advertising, including happy hours and sponsorship of music and sporting events, doctors’ leaders said yesterday.
A tough package of measures is needed to “tackle the soaring cost of alcohol-related harm” in the UK, said a report from the British Medical Association (BMA). Young people are particularly affected by such advertising, which encourages them to binge-drink and stock up on cheap alcopops, it said.
The BMA also renewed its calls for a minimum price to be set per unit of alcohol, for alcohol to be taxed at a higher rate than inflation, and for a ban on two-for-one offers.
It follows a report last year from the union which said there should be a curb on the sale of cut-price alcohol, such as in supermarkets.
The latest study – Under The Influence – said alcohol consumption in the UK had “increased rapidly” in recent years among a range of age groups.
It blames advertising and heavy discounting, the availability of cheap alcohol and 24-hour licensing laws. Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: “There’s no longer any doubt – the heavy marketing and promotion of alcohol, combined with low prices – are encouraging young people to drink at a level our health services are struggling to cope with.”
