ARGYLL and Bute MSP Michael Russell has welcomed the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the Scottish Government’s minimum unit pricing policy is legal. The ruling allows it to set a minimum unit price on alcohol of 50p.
Mr Russell said: ‘This ruling allows us to go ahead with the policy that was overwhelmingly backed by the Scottish Parliament five years ago and take the action that is needed to cut alcohol-related deaths and reduce hospital admissions.
‘The fact that alcohol misuse costs Scotland £3.6 billion every year shows how damaging our relationship with alcohol is. Minimum pricing is the most effective and efficient way to tackle the cheap, highstrength alcohol that causes so much damage to so many families.