News

On Saturday 1 October, new legislation comes into force in Scotland which will make it mandatory for all licensed premises to have a policy of checking the age of anyone buying alcohol who looks under 25. The scheme, known as ‘Challenge 25’, is part of the Alcohol etc (Scotland) Act 2010 which also bans irresponsible promotions in shops and supermarkets and removes cost-based incentives in bulk-buying alcohol.

Dr Evelyn Gillan, Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said:

”The Alcohol Act contains a range of measures which will contribute to reducing harmful consumption of alcohol in Scotland. ‘Challenge 25’ will make it tougher for young people under the legal drinking age to buy alcohol, and ending irresponsible promotions in off-sales should discourage people from buying more alcohol than they intended. These measures will be even more effective when minimum unit pricing is finally introduced. If we want to reduce the level of alcohol-related harm in Scotland, we need to reduce overall alcohol consumption. Evidence shows that price increases reduce consumption, and consequently harm. As well as saving lives, minimum pricing would also save the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds in NHS, crime and employment costs.”