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AFS Comment on WHO Alcohol Policy Playbook Launch

The World Health Organization (WHO) has today (Friday 9^th November) published their ‘Alcohol Policy Playbook’.

Alcohol Focus Scotland warmly welcomes this resource which aims to help policymakers identify when alcohol-related issues are presented from a profit-seeking perspective and guides them to prioritise public health evidence to reduce alcohol-related harm and its burden on public finances.

Industries that rely on the sale of health-harming products such as alcohol, have been exposed by the WHO as using a range of tactics to delay, deter and block policies that would improve public health. The Alcohol Policy Playbook identifies these tactics which include political lobbying and spreading disinformation, and contrasts the alcohol industry’s assertions with scientific evidence, demonstrating that alcohol-related harms can be significantly reduced through interventions such as pricing, availability restrictions, and marketing controls.

Pricing policies have been shown to particularly benefit heavy drinkers, who experience the most harm. Limiting when and where alcohol is sold leads to significant reductions in accidents and injuries. Additionally, restricting alcohol marketing can prevent early initiation of drinking and reduce binge drinking, especially among young people. Overall, these evidence-based policies have proven to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption and its associated harms within populations.

The Playbook aims to encourage policymakers to critically evaluate the sources of information they rely on and prioritise evidence-based conclusions from the public health community when shaping alcohol-related policies.

Commenting on the publication, Nicola Merrin, Policy and Research Manager, Alcohol Focus Scotland, said:

“The WHO Alcohol Policy Playbook is a welcome new resource that can help policymakers in Scotland and the UK better identify and manage conflicts of interest in developing health policy on alcohol.

“The Playbook is published at a timely juncture in Scotland, not long after we have learned that the alcohol industry has substantially increased their lobbying of MSPs and Scottish Government, creating a ‘policy chill’ that no doubt lies behind the recent decision to delay a promised consultation on alcohol marketing pending an evidence review.

“It once again highlights the robust scientific evidence that action to limit the industry’s influence on our choices, such as restricting alcohol marketing, has the greatest impact on reducing alcohol harm. Contrary to industry claims, the research is clear that alcohol marketing targets young people, it has a significant impact on their drinking habits, and government regulation is needed to address this. The industry’s self-regulation is a failure.

“The Scottish Government has the power and the duty to act to protect and improve the health of people in Scotland.  It has shown strong leadership in the past, facing down profit-seeking industry actors in court, to implement Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol. The Alcohol Playbook serves as a guide for our policymakers - they should pay close attention to it to ensure that the wellbeing of the many is placed above the profit of the few. This is of critical importance now as we seek to drive down the rising tide of alcohol harm we have been experiencing since the pandemic.”